A Winter's Rose
by kigsfoo
Summary: Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, is no more. Cast out into the cold one winter's night, young Harry couldn't survive the cold. Calling out for help, The young boy found help in the form of the Fey of the Winter Circle. Dying from the cold, the Fey Healed him, at the cost of his gender. This is the life of one Rose Lily Potter. Evil!Dumbles Fem!Harry
1. Chapter 1-Prologue

**Prologue**

 _"_ _Lily! He's here! Take Harry and Run!"_

 ** _"_** ** _Avada Kedavra!..."_**

 _"…_ _No! Please! Not my Harry! Please!"_

 ** _"_** ** _Stand aide you silly girl!"_**

 _"_ _No please! Take me instead!"_

 ** _"_** ** _Avada Kedavra!"_**

 _With that final curse, all those that stood between The Dark Lord and his destined foe had perished. The woman's body lay across the edge of the crib that the chosen child was entrapped in, giving The Dark Lord free access._

 ** _"_** ** _Finally. We come to this moment at last. With your death, my immortality is ensured. AVADA KEDAVRA!"_**

 _The green spell flew towards its target. Before it reached the child, however, a fiery shield sprang into existence around the child. The corpse of his mother turned to ash, and the spell rebounded, magnified, back at The Dark Lord. With no room to dodge, he was hit solidly in the chest, burning his body to ash as well. Yet, he did not die that night._

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

Night had just fallen on the village of Little Whinging, allowing the newly lit street lights to glisten off the freshly fallen snow. Most families in the neighborhood were bundled up inside their homes, enjoying the Christmas time cheer.

That is… all but one family.

"FREAK!" a purple faced man yelled at a young boy, no older than five years of age. "Get back out there and finish shoveling the drive!"

The man grabbed the boy by the arm and bodily threw him outside without a coat, nor shoes. He landed face first in a nearby snow drift, busting his nose in the process. The man then slammed the door of the house, and the definitive sounds of the deadbolt being locked was heard.

The boy, known as Freak, gingerly picked himself up and grabbed his glasses. The bridge of them had snapped again. Maybe he could finally convince the loud purple man to buy him a replacement. He slowly made his way to the garage where the shovel was kept. He began shoveling where he had left off moments before when he had tried to warm up inside.

His sweater, obviously several sizes too large for his emaciated form, was now stained red in fresh blood. He knew he would be punished for ruining his only sweater, but he couldn't bring himself to truly care. The hunger he felt, as he hadn't been fed in a few days, gnawed at him, distracting any emotion he might have had.

He wished he had left his shoes on… at least he would be able to feel his feet, and maybe they wouldn't be turning so blue. Maybe if he finished quickly, they would finally feed him. He couldn't remember the last time he had been fed. It felt so long ago.

After around a half hour, he completed his task. Stowing the shovel, he attempted to return indoors. The front door was barred, and he knew if he were to knock or ring the bell he wouldn't be fed, and the beatings would be worse. If the purple men even let him in.

Circling around, he tried the back door, but it too was barred. His small frame couldn't reach any windows, even if they were open. He could hear the happy family inside watching the television. He knew there would be no entering the house tonight.

Sighing to himself, he began to walk down the street. Maybe the cat lady would let him in. He didn't like the cats, but at least he would be warm.

As he walked, the wind began to feel colder than was before. The sudden chill seeped into his bones, causing him to trip. He ended up half buried in the snow. Freezing, blurry vision, and now wet, he brought himself back to his feet, and resumed walking.

He stumbled again. He was so tired. Maybe a quick nap would help… no. he had to get to the cat lady. There he could be warm. Maybe even fed. If he could just get there…

He fell to the ground again, too tired to even get up this time. A nap sounded so good right now. Just a small one… then he could make it to the cat lady's home…

The wind slowly grew louder, the cold getting stronger. The young boy could only lay there, nothing would move him. A pale blue glow began to emanate around him. Not even this got the attention of the boy, as the cold and tiredness took over.

As his vision faded completely, the small boy made a desperate plea internally for safety and warmth, for a home. _'Help me…'_

Frost began to cover the small form, yet somehow the boy felt no cold. He was long gone, hovering on the edge to the abyss. Darkness enveloped him, comforting him as he slipped deeper into emptiness.

The light faded completely from his eyes, but next to where the boy had lain, a single winter's rose had grown. Blooming and beautiful, it sat solitary against the harsh winter.

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

Deep beneath London, further down than any human had been before, an oval stone that once shone a soft white was consumed by an inky blackness before fading completely. But before the designated watcher could notify another of the loss of life, the stone flared into a fiery red, and seemed to pulse with inner life.

Wide eyed, the goblin watching the stone, and others like it, ran to the heavy iron door guarding the room. Knocking twice, a small hatch opened, and another goblin could be seen behind the door. "Alert Account Manager Sharpclaw. The Potter stone has changed."

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

Several devices sitting on a shelf in an opulent office within an old Scottish castle suddenly began chirping and spinning wildly. This went on for several moments before they all sputtered and died.

An old man, alerted by the devices, was startled by this. He quickly looked to another device that was linked to the others. While it had stopped spinning with the others, it started spinning again a few seconds after. "What could this mean?"


	2. Chapter 2-Hoar Frost

**Chapter 1**

 _'_ _Help me…'_ the call resonated throughout magic, calling for someone or thing capable of saving the young one touched by fate.

 _'_ _Help me…'_

 _'_ _Help me…'_

 _'… me…'_

The call faded into nothingness, lost to the ebb and flow of magic. The plea for help was not unheard however.

"What is it sister?" a female voice, soft as the first snow, called out.

"Someone is calling out to us…" another female voice, this time harsh as a biting blizzard, answered.

"Who?" This time the voice was as sharp of that of cracking ice.

"Someone of our blood…" Blizzard said.

"Of us?" Snow asked.

"I am unsure." The forms of the voices seemed to solidify next to a body of a young boy, lying face first in the snow. Standing around the boy, yet unseen to the rest of the world, were three beautiful women. These women however were not human. Their skin ranged from a pure white, to that of a pale blue. Their hair flowed from their heads as if it were of moving water, yet it was as white as snow. The age of the women was unknown, but they all appeared to be in their mid to late twenties. Their clothes seemed to be made of the finest silk, hugging their bodies leaving little to the imagination.

"Who is this sister?" Ice asked. Her hand began to glow softly as she passed it over the boy. "They feel of Us!"

"Who indeed…" Blizzard asked. She kneeled next to the unconscious boy, turning him over. Immediately the women noticed the angry red scar blazoned across the boy's forehead.

Snow hissed. "A wizard."

"No. Not Truly." Blizzard said. She placed her hand on the boy's chest, and a pale blue glow pulsed from her hand. "He has our blood. But not of Winter."

"Of Summer?" Ice asked. "But they were all slain by the Dark One! How could this be?"

"I suspect that one caught wind of their demise and fled. They must have replaced someone, hiding in plain sight. A changeling."

"Who would they replace? The Dark One watches for us! They would have been found!" Snow exclaimed.

"The Dark One cannot watch everyone. They probably replaced his mother at birth. Being a supposed muggleborn, she would have been the only possible parent that wasn't watched at all times."

"But surely we would have known? Why didn't she contact us?" Ice asked.

"Maybe even she didn't know of her heritage. She must have been bound. It's the only way she could have remained hidden."

The three of them pondered this for a moment. As they wondered about this, Blizzard continued to pulse her magic through the young boy. Her magic was keeping death at bay, but only just. She slowly moved her hand over the young boy's body, keeping the magic flowing. Suddenly, she came to an abrupt halt as her hand passed over his forehead.

"There is a foreign presence here. A darkness. It seems to be leeching of his magic, but not progressing any further. But how?" The glow from her hand began to glow brighter as she pushed more magic into the young boy, trying to read him further. "There is another."

"Another? There is more? How many are trying to possess such a young boy?" Snow asked incredulously.

Blizzard remained silent for a moment, reading the information coming from the boy in greater detail. "There is a soul shard trying to possess the boy. The shard itself, is currently being held within his scar. However, and how I suspect the shard has remained there and not fully possessed the boy, there seems to be a full soul of another guarding his own. This secondary soul is that of Summer. Specifically, that of the Summer Circle. I suspect this is his mother's soul." The other two were stunned silent at that.

"H-how?" Snow asked meekly.

"I don't know. If we pour our magic into his body in an attempt to heal him, the soul shard could wrest control from him, fully taking him over."

"What can we do?" Ice asked. "How can we save him without the shard taking over?"

"We could create a new body for him, one that is based off an imprint of his soul. Then we simply move his soul over. If we do this, the shard would be trapped in the old body, were we could kill it." Snow said.

"If we do that, then he would no longer be half human. He would be fully fey." Blizzard said.

"Is that such a bad thing? His mother was able to survive for a number of years." Ice said.

"Maybe. But this wouldn't be easy. If we make a single mistake, we could destroy him completely, and we wouldn't have any way to save him."

"Why? We could just do it again." Snow said.

"No, we wouldn't. This will sap all our magic, nearly killing us. There is not enough magic left within the Circles for this to be a simple task. Additionally, any soul transference that we do will most likely have to include his mother's soul as well, if he is to be complete. They have been together for too long to be considered separate. If we do this, we must be prepared."

"For one of us… For one of the lost Summer? I am prepared sister. There is only us three left of the Winter Circle. There is only this young boy left of the Summer Circle. The Dark One has almost wiped out the fey Circles, we are all that is left." Ice said solemnly.

Snow, mollified by this, simply nodded her acceptance.

"Then we proceed."

The three of them gathered all their available magic, causing the weather in the area to become harsher, colder, and dangerous. Their hair, ignoring the wind all around them, began to flow angrily, as a pale white glow emanated from their bodies. They lifted gently of the ground, brought up by the shear power they each wielded. The body of the boy also began to hover in the air, pulsing with light.

 **"** **Create a vessel, bound together."** They intoned together in a language not of human understanding. Slowly, a mass of blue magic formed next to the body of the boy. It began to grow, matching the size of the boy.

 **"** **Prepare the vessel, bound as one."** The magic began to shape itself to that of a young child, but the glow was indistinguishable from that of which it was before.

 **"** **Bind the vessel, bound within."** Emerald green light began to pour from the boy, entering the glowing form. With the emerald light came a fiery red that also entered the glowing form. Slowly the glowing form began to gain mass and definition, beginning to take shape. As this was happening, a sickly black light tried to exit the boy as well, following the others. But as it reached the glowing form, the red light lashed out harshly at the black, seemingly burning it. The black light retreated to the boy, while the red light encompassed the glowing form, acting as a shield.

 **"** **Complete the vessel, bound forever."** The blue glow faded from the new body, but it was replaced by that of both green and red. The old body of the boy, now a corpse, was gently laid back down upon the snow, rapidly loosing any remaining body heat.

 **"** **Bound within, together as one, forever. The Circle is complete."** The light faded entirely, as both the new body and the fey women disappeared into the night. In their place grew a single flower, a winter rose, as a reminder of what happened there.

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

Three very tired women faded into existence far away from where they were previously. Along with them, a glowing form floated between them. Gently they laid the body down upon the ground. Surrounding them was a forest clearing, deep within winter. As they laid the form down, the light began to fade revealing the new fey to the world.

"Well that was unexpected." Snow said. All three of them were looking down at the child laying between them.

"How did this happen? I expected to see a young boy… even if he were fey…" Ice said.

The child that had all their attention was not the boy they had found previously. Instead, what they saw was a young girl with flaming red hair. The girl was still unconscious, as they had yet to wake her. Her skin was as if it had the perfect tan, and it was blemish free. The angry red scar that was so prominent upon the young boy's forehead was missing from her own.

"I'm guessing that his mother's soul was transferred as well, as they were bound together. We expected that. But something must have happened during the transfer to force hers to be the most prominent when the new body was taking shape." Blizzard said introspectively.

"Is there anything left of the boy?" Snow asked worryingly.

Blizzard knelt and placed her had upon the young girl. After a moment, her hand began to glow, but much weaker than before. "I believe so. I can't be too certain, as my magic is very weak, but I feel him still within. It appears that he is still the dominant soul within the body, just as before. He is just now within a new body."

"He? Wouldn't he now be female?" Ice asked.

"Physically? Yes. Magically? No. He is still Harry James Potter to magic."

"We can't call her that. That's a boy's name. even if we try to explain it to her, others wouldn't accept that."

"We call her Rose." Snow spoke up.

"Rose?" Blizzard asked.

"I like Roses. But also, every female of the Evans line, her mother's family, is named after a flower. And even if the others are not of the Summer Circle like she was, we should still respect the family tradition. That, and roses are usually connotated with winter. Even if she is of Summer."

"Then Rose it shall be." They all stood there for a moment, trying to regain what little magic they had left within themselves. "We grow weary sisters. We need to find somewhere to reinsert her."

"But where? I won't have our newest sister return to those horrid humans she calls family. They nearly killed her!" Ice angrily said.

"No… not there. We will have to find someplace else. Somewhere better. Maybe another squib family. But one where they would love and cherish her."

"They would have to be neutral. Neither serving the Dark One, nor themselves." Snow said.

"We also would need to bind her. We can't have her fey magic seep out and alert the Dark One to our existence." Ice said. "But she would need protection. So maybe a partial binding will suffice. Have it linked to an easily removed object?"

"Then make it so that only she can remove it. I like that." Blizzard said. "But we can't do that right away. We have little magic left, and it will take a long time to recover."

"She should be fine for now anyway." Snow said. "She is still very young, and anything that might seep through would be explained as accidental magic. Like normal wizards."

"Very well. We should begin looking for a new home for her." They all began to gather some magic and pooled it together within a small bowl of ice. The magic began to ripple as if it were water, and an image began to appear before them.

 **"** **Find us a family, loved by each other."** The image seemed to shift, trying to locate something. A bird's eye view of a city began to take shape.

 **"** **Find us a family, looking for another."** The image zoomed in upon a section of the city, specifically a hospital block.

 **"** **Find us a family, to care and protect."** The image entered the hospital building, and zeroed in upon a young couple, holding each other in their arms, crying.

 **"** **Family has been found. Loved by each other, looking for another, to care and protect. The Circle begins anew."** The magic froze the image of the young couple in the bowl. Ice and Snow collapsed upon the ground after the magic had passed, exhausted. Blizzard stood still yet was obviously fighting exhaustion just as much.

"You were right sister. We have little to no magic left. This was all very tiring. I'm glad we didn't make any disastrous mistakes." Ice spoke from the ground.

"We will have to go in the morning. By then, we will have enough magic to shift us back to London. For now, however, we rest." Blizzard said. She bent down and gently picked up the sleeping form of Rose and began walking into the forest. Shortly thereafter, the other two got up and followed. ( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

"I demand to see the life stone of Harry Potter! I am his magical guardian, I have every right to see it!" Declared an old wizened wizard. He was standing in the middle of an opulent office, located within the wizarding bank of Gringotts. Before him sat an old goblin wearing a pinstripe business suit. The goblin had the expression of extreme annoyance upon his face and didn't seem fazed by the declaration of the wizard before him.

"Mr. Dumbledore. Not only does mister Potter not need a magical guardian as he is wizard born, it is illegal to declare yourself as such without his guardian's express permission." The goblin said in a slow drawl, seemingly gaining pleasure from annoying his companion just as much as he was being annoyed.

"I have written proof of my claim." Dumbledore then pulled out a parchment scroll. Handing it to the goblin, he waited impatiently as the goblin took his time reading it.

"This says here that a Mrs. Petunia Dursley nee Evans has signed magical guardianship over to one Mr. Albus Dumbledore."

"Exactly! I demand to see the life stone of my ward!"

"I'm sorry, but this Mrs. Petunia Dursley nee Evans is not Mr. Harry Potter's legal guardian. She cannot sign the magical guardianship over to you Mr. Dumbledore."

"Hippogriff shit! I personally handed Harry over to her! She was the closest living relative to Harry! That automatically makes her his legal guardian!"

"That may be true for the wizarding world, but Mrs. Petunia Dursley nee Evans lives within the muggle world. She never finalized the guardianship paperwork within her government, and therefore was illegally caring for one Mr. Potter. This is also disregarding the Potter Will."

"The will was sealed by the Chief Warlock. Anything within is classified information."

"You mean it was sealed by YOU, Mr. Dumbledore. It was sealed under wizarding law. Not goblin law. Our copy is still open to be read by any who wish to read it."

This information seemed to greatly worry Dumbledore. "Who has read it?"

"Other than myself, as I am the Potter accounts manager, I am not at liberty to disclose private client information." The goblin smiled at this. "Anything else is classified information."

Dumbledore's face got redder and redder as the conversation grew on. Sitting himself down upon the only available seat, he seemed to deflate a bit after he realized that he wasn't going to get any information regarding the Potter will from the goblin. "Then who is Harry's legal guardian?"

"That would be his godfather. One Mr. Sirius Black."

That information shocked Albus as he wasn't aware of this predicament. "He was convicted! His guardianship should have automatically been revoked upon being placed in Azkaban!"

"Our records indicate that he was never stripped of his guardianship. There must be an error at your end. Regardless, this meeting has gone on for far too long. Time is money. Get out of my office."

At that, two goblin warriors entered the room and grabbed both of Dumbledore's arms, and dragged him out to the foyer of the bank. Picking himself up, he swiftly left the bank on his next mission.


	3. Chapter 3-A New Hope

**Chapter 2**

"Doctor, isn't there anything we can do? We have been trying for a child for few years now without any luck." Said a young man holding his crying wife.

"Mr. Moore, I'm afraid not. Whatever accident she was in in her youth caused your wife to become unable to bear children. I'm sorry to be the one to inform you of this, but there is nothing we can do." The doctor shuffled a few papers around on the desk, seemingly uncomfortable being the source of the tears. "If you truly desire children, might I suggest adoption? There are a lot of kids out there who don't have a family to care for them that would be sure to accept you two as parents."

"We will have to think on that. Thank you doctor. We'll be in touch." The man got up to leave, nearly carrying his inconsolable wife out the door. The doctor could be heard sighing in relief as they left.

"What are we going to do Lewis? We've wanted a child for many years..." the wife spoke.

"I'm not sure love. When your family cast you out, I never thought that they truly meant what they said when they assured that you wouldn't be capable of baring any disgraces to their family."

"It's all my fault. If I wasn't…"

"No, Selene. This is not your fault. This is entirely your family's fault."

"They're no family of mine. For them to do something like this, just because I am a squib… If you want to leave-"

"No, don't. They did it because of me. They didn't like the fact that you fell in love with a muggle. Even when you told me of the wonderful world of magic, I never left you for another. Just because you can't bear children, won't ever mean I will leave you for another. I'm not them. I am not conceited enough to leave you just because you are barren."

Selene smiled at this. She truly feared that her husband would leave her because of this. Her upbringing wouldn't allow anything else.

"As for what we'll do… we'll just have to adopt. I'm sure there is a young boy or girl just right for our family." By now they both arrived at their car and proceeded to leave the lot.

"Do you really think so?"

"I know so."

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

"Sister, how do we do this? We can't risk revealing ourselves to the Dark One over something like this." Ice said after they had rested.

"Don't worry. We'll be fine. We have a plan. Though we'll have to reveal ourselves to them to explain, we can lock their memories of the encounter, so no one will be able to steal the information from them." Blizzard answered.

"Do you think they'll let us visit?" Snow asked. "We can hide as children to play with her or something."

"I'm sure. They seem nice." The forest around them was silent in an unearthly chill around the fey trio as they discussed the inevitable. Rose lay behind them in an enchanted sleep, preventing her from revealing them to the denizens of the forest. "We should go soon sisters. We cannot stay in this realm for too long or risk discovery."

Blizzard then picked up the sleeping form of Rose and faded away to her next destination. The other two, after masking any magical signature they might have left, followed soon after.

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

The Moore family arrived at their home after a late night relaxing out on the town, attempting to keep their mind off the horrible news that they were given earlier that day. When they entered their home however, they were greeted by a beautiful woman sitting upon their living room chair.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Moore. Just the people I wanted to see." The woman said with a silky voice.

"Who are you and what are you doing in our house?" Lewis said. He placed himself in front of his wife, defending her from the possible threat.

"My name is unimportant at the moment. But if you insist, you may call me Fae."

"Miss Fae, in not sure what you're doing in our house, but I would like you to leave before I call the constables."

"Don't worry Mr. Moore. I'm not here to harm you or your wife. I'm actually here to see if you would help me and my sisters with a dilemma."

A sense of calm seemed to wash over the couple at her words. Something seemed to be alright with this woman, they could trust her. Both sat in the couch opposite her. The calm didn't last however, but they didn't get angry right away.

"What is this dilemma that you think we could help with?"

"First off, Mrs. Moore, or rather, Selene. Do you know of the Fey? Specifically of the Fey Circles."

Selene blinked at that. "Of course, I do. All those raised within the wizarding world know of the Fey Circles."

"She's a witch?" Lewis asked.

"To answer that question, not exactly. Selene, have you informed your husband of these Fey Circles at all?"

"No. They never came up when I was discussing the wizarding world. What is this all about?"

"I represent the Winter Circle. Or rather what remains. My sisters and I would like to ask of you something. We are willing to grant nearly anything in return within reason."

"The Winter Circle?" Selene seemed to wilt at that. "It's my understanding that the Winter Circle is classified as dark."

"No fey is dark. Neither are they light. We cannot be classified so easily. We simply are."

"We don't what anything to do with the Winter Fey. They've tricked and harmed many a young witch or wizard. Why would I submit myself to their wishes?"

"Normally I would be very angry with that assumption, but I can tell this is just information based on a bias representation of the Winter Fey. If I wanted to harm or trick you Selene, I would have done so without asking for help."

"What is all this fey stuff you keep speaking of?" Lewis asked, well out of his depth.

Taking a calming breath, Selene began to explain. "Fey are creatures like fairies, pixies, leprechauns and the like. They exist in multitudes, and usually tend to pull pranks or trick other, sometimes maliciously, for their own enjoyment."

"While accurate, that leaves out the other fey. There actually are many tiers making up the Fey Circles. There is the lowest tier, the pixies and fairies. These are quite numerous in their variety and quantity. Then there is then there is the next tier, containing leprechauns, brownies and such. Then there is the third tier, containing nymphs, dryads, veela, and elves. Then there is the final tier, containing what amounts to the fey royalty, the Archfey. Every tier has fewer in number and quantity, but greater and greater power. Like a pyramid if you will."

"I am specifically referring to the final tier. The Archfey within the final tier are separated into two main influences over nature, or Circles if you will. The Winter Circle are connotated with ice, snow, and death, but also with joy, renewal, and family. The Summer Circle is connotated with fire, rain and life, but also with war, drought, and famine. As you can see, the fey are more aptly described as forces of nature, rather than good or evil."

"What do you want with our family then?" Lewis asked, still overwhelmed, but seemingly getting a handle on this information.

"I have come with an offer. Of course, you may refuse, and we will simply leave. I am willing to swear upon the Circle of your safety if you wish." Selene's eyes widened at that.

"Okay, I'm missing something hear, what does she mean about swearing on a circle?" Lewis asked.

"It means that if she breaks her promise to her, the magic of the Circle will strip her of her magic, and most likely of her life." Selene said in response.

"Yes, as you can see, I mean you no harm."

"What is this offer then?" Lewis asked.

"First, you need to be aware of something, as this may sway your choice. The Archfey, and by extension the rest of the fey, are being hunted down by an evil being. Of the Circles, only three of Winter remain. I am one of them, and my two sisters are the others. Only one remains of Summer. This is what I am here about."

"You don't look like fey, Fae." Lewis said.

"I am masking myself in order to not cause you alarm. If you wish to see my true form, then I am willing to show you."

"Please."

"Very well." With that, her form rippled, slowly returning to her natural looks. With her form, also came a blast of freezing wind. The couple began shivering, even though their winter coats protected them. "I apologize for that. When my magic asserts itself, it tends to cause blizzards." With her words, the wind died down to manageable levels.

"Okay, I can definitely see a fey resemblance now." Lewis spoke. "You look similar to a Tolkien elf."

"As I should, as they were based off of us."

"That's not something you hear every day."

"Regardless, we should return to the matter at hand. What I am asking of you two, is to take in the last child of Summer. She has been through much within her short life, and she needs a loving family to help heal her from her past."

"You want us to take in a child we never met?" Selene asked incredulously.

"Sadly, it's necessary." With that, Ice faded into existence next to Fae, or rather, Blizzard. She was carrying the sleeping form of Rose within her arms. She then gently laid Rose down upon the lap of Blizzard, then faded away. "She was heavily abused by her previous guardians and will require a delicate hand to heal her from this."

Selene immediately went to Rose and gently picked the frail five-year-old girl up, taking her back with her. Her motherly instincts kicking in, working overtime trying to help the poor thing.

"As you can see, she has been starved, and was badly beaten. My sisters and I, upon her rescue, healed most of the physical scars, however the emotional and mental ones remain."

"Who is she?" Selene asked.

Blizzard sighed heavily at this. "That will be difficult to explain. That was once one Harry James Potter."

"What!?" Selene exclaimed.

"That doesn't make any sense. Harry Potter is a young boy, last I heard. Not a girl." Lewis said.

"Let me try to explain. Her mother, one Lily Potter nee Evans, was secretly a part of the Summer Circle. How this came to be, or how she kept it secret, we are unaware. But upon their death that Halloween night, Harry was taken to Lily's sister's house. They then systematically abused the young orphan, starving, beating, and treating him like a slave. Yesterday evening, they threw him outside, telling him to shovel the front drive, without a coat or shoes. They then locked the doors, preventing him from going back inside. I am unsure as to why, but he then tried to go someplace else, most likely to someone he thought could help him. He never made it. He collapsed in the snow, slowly dying from multiple reasons, namely hypothermia and starvation."

"Before he passed out, probably through a bit of accidental magic or a lingering fey ability, he called out for help, and his plea resonated throughout magic. We of the Winter Circle, as we are technically family, heard his call, and came to the rescue. Because of reasons I am not truly at liberty to say, we attempted to create a new body for him. This new body, being purely of fey, would have saved his life. Something went wrong, however, and he now resembles his diseased mother. As we cannot even attempt to fix our mistake for several months at least, as our magic has been nearly diminished with this act, we have left him as such. By the time we could do so, it would sadly become permanent."

"We have decided to name her Rose Lily Potter, after her mother's family traditions."

"The poor dear…" Selene said, tears falling from her eyes. Lewis' eyes on the other hand, were hard and burning with an inner rage.

"Who are these despicable creatures. I wish to make an example of them."

"I can't let you do that. All I can offer in repayment for your compliance, is the fact that when we created her a new body, it left behind her old one. I am most definitely sure that someone shall find the lifeless corpse and notify the authorities. They will deal with them."

"Good. Serves them right for treating a young child like that."

Seeing the willingness to leap to Rose' defense, Blizzard allowed hope to fill her. All that remained was for them to accept her into their lives. "As you now know the situation, will you be willing to take her in? Again, I will repay you with anything within my power to grant."

The young couple looked into each other's eyes, having a silent conversation. After a moment, they both nodded. "We will take Rose in. Though I do have to ask, is there anything special we should know about raising an Archfey for a daughter?" Lewis asked.

Happiness filled Blizzard's eyes at that. "No. Most of her fey heritage will not come into play until much later in her life. Most everything at this stage would just be like raising a young witch. The only true difference would be that her accidental magic, especially when angry or scared, will be mostly fiery in nature, as Summer Fey have a natural connection with fire. Similar to that of veela, but stronger."

"That's reassuring." Lewis said, being slightly sarcastic, but mostly relieved.

"A few final notes. In order to help Rose adjust to her new gender, I will be altering her memories a tad, placing her true memories behind a mental barrier. This barrier will deteriorate over time, and her original memories will reassert themselves. It should last for a few years however, so there won't be any immediate concerns. In addition to this, I or my sisters will pop by every so often to check up upon her, to ensure that she is heathy and happy. This is no way an insult to you, but we will not allow even the slightest possibility of her ever being in the kind of environment she was in happen to her again."

"Those are acceptable concerns, and we will accept them." Selene said.

"Then I will take my leave. Take care of her now."

With that said, she faded away. Shortly thereafter, Rose awoke in Selene's arms. "Good evening sleepyhead." Selene said with a smile.

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

"It is done sisters. She is now safe with new guardians who will watch over her." Blizzard spoke as she returned to the Feywilds with her sisters.

"Good." Ice said. "Here's hoping that the Dark One doesn't notice our interference."

"We can only hope." Snow said softly.

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

Several days later, Dumbledore approached the home of the Dursley's. he was haggard in his appearance, as if he hadn't slept in a few days. Upon his arrival, he was able to see the house was cordoned off with police tape and surrounded by officers. He watched as both adult Dursley's were carted out with handcuffs adorning their wrists.

Diving off into a nearby alley, Dumbledore quickly transfigured his robes into a prune colored muggle business suit and tidied up his appearance a tad with a few cantrips. He then walked up to an officer that wasn't currently busy with anything and asked, "What's going on here?"

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm not at liberty to say. This is police business, please return to your home."

Dumbledore, not put off with this, simply used a bit of wandless legilimency, and pulled the information from the officer's mind. "Very well, constable, I'll leave you to it." He then hurriedly left to the same alleyway and apparated away. Reappearing at the Hogsmeade apparition point, he briskly walked back to the castle, muttering to himself the entire way.

"How could he be dead? My instrument tracking his magic is still active, implying that he is still alive. But everything else that I had tracking him has ceased working. What could this mean? If only I could see his life stone, I could ensure that he was still alive…"


	4. Chapter 4-Growing Pains

**A/N** **I was originally going to hyphenate Rose' last name, but when I read it out to myself, I couldn't go through with such a horrible joke, unintentional or otherwise. So, for now, she is Rose Moore in the muggle world, and Rose Potter in the magical world. Not Moore-Potter, or Potter-Moore.**

 **Chapter 3**

The first day of school is stressful for many a child and their parents, but none so much as could claim that they had as hard of time letting go as the Moore family.

"Don't worry honey, I'll pick you upright after school. I'll be right here." Selene said softly to a crying young girl currently trying to burry herself deep within her arms.

"I don't want to leave you…" Rose, a now six-year-old child, sadly said.

"Don't you want to make new friends? There is lots of fun things to do here."

"I can learn at home mum. I don't want to leave you." Rose seemed to pull at Selene's heart strings, nearly causing her to give in to the young child's wishes.

"It's only for a few hours. I'll pick you up right after words. Okay? You need to learn the things they can teach you. I can't teach you everything, especially since I don't know everything myself."

"You don't?"

"No. I never went to school like your dad. My family didn't see the point. They were quite mean to me, like how your old one was." Somehow that seemed to cheer up the girl a tad.

"That's when you told them that you'll be better than them, right?"

"Yes, honey. I told them that I would be better. Do better. That's why I'm here, taking you to school. I want to be better than them. I want _you_ to be better than them."

"Okay, mum. I'll go. Promise you'll be there to pick me up?"

"Yes, I promise. Maybe we'll go out for ice cream after."

"Really!?" Rose exclaimed quite happily.

"Yes Really. No go on. You don't want to be late." Rose then left the comfort and safety of Selene's arms and proceed to run to the front door of the school.

"Bye mum! Love you!"

"Love you too!"

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

"Look mum! I made I new friend!" Rose exclaimed while dragging a young girl along with her. The girl had snow white hair and had a small ethereal beauty about her. The girl seemed to be quite happy being dragged along, as if that was what she had intended.

"That's nice dear! What's her name?" Selene said, already suspecting something was up.

"Eira miss." The white-haired girl spoke up.

"Eira? That's a pretty name. Means snow, right?"

"That's what my older sister tells me." Somehow the girl wasn't too sure at that, as if the name was foreign to her.

"Don't worry. I'm sure she is correct." Selene could definitely tell something was going on here. "Your sister wouldn't happen to be a miss Fae, would she?"

"How'd you know!?" Eira declared, surprised.

"She's a friend of the family. You happen to have a resemblance to her."

"Oh… I thought I could get away with that."

"Don't worry, I won't tell." Selene smiled at that. It seemed that the Winter Circle wasn't going to let Rose out of their sight any time soon.

"Can we go play mum? Her older sister said she could come over for a bit." Rose said excitedly.

"Yes dear… Go have fun now!" The seven-year-old ran up the stairs to her room, dragging a giggling Eira behind her.

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

 _DING-DONG_

The doorbell was heard throughout the small house, as young feet could be heard running throughout. "They're here! They're here!" A young voice called out in excitement.

"Yes, Rose dear, they're here. Settle down now, we don't want to run them out the door now, do we?"

"No mum." Selene knelt down and ruffled Rose' fiery hair in amusement.

"Why don't you go and get a few toys out to play with young Eira while we wait for your dad to finish up with the decorations."

"Okay!" With that, Rose disappeared up the stairs to her bedroom, just to quickly return to hug her adoptive mother, then disappeared again.

Shaking her head in amusement, Selene went to the door, and greeted her guests. At the door stood a familiar form of Fae and Eira. "She's upstairs in her room gathering some toys." The young girl quickly disappeared after her friend.

Fae, smiling, simply shook her head at the young girl's antics. "Have fun Eira!"

Selene beckoned Fae to follow her further into the house. "Where is your other sister Fae?"

"She'll be along later. She wanted to finish up something. Unsure as to what though."

"Can't be too bad, Eira is the playful and mischievous one."

"Too true." They lapsed into companionable silence at that. Fae followed Selene into the dining room where Lewis was attempting to put up a banner that read 'Happy 8th Birthday Rose!' His attempts, however, were failing miserably. "Here, let me lend a hand." With that, Fae waved her hand, and a small blue glow enshrouded the banner. The banner then flew up and attached itself perfectly upon the ceiling. The banner, however, was now covered in stylized snowflakes and roses.

Noticing the look that Selene gave her, Fae answered the unasked question abashedly. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

"No worries, Fae. It looks much better than the cheap store-bought thing it was before." Lewis said reassuringly.

"Thanks."

Just then, a stately looking barn owl rapped its beak against the kitchen window. "Now who could that be from?" Selene asked as she opened the window for the owl. The owl then proceeded to drop off the letter it was carrying with Fae and sat waiting as if for a reply.

Opening the letter, Fae stated, "It's from Gringotts. The Potter accounts manager wishes to speak with Rose, and by extension you, at your earliest convenience about a matter of utmost importance."

"Do you know anything about this Fae? Why did they send the letter to you? Not us?" Selene asked.

"I have a few hunches, but nothing concrete. They might just be inquiring about the welfare of your young charge, as she holds quite a large bank account with them… they also might be asking her what she intends to do with her fortune. As for why they sent it to me? I have no idea. Maybe they somehow sensed I had been in recent contact with her."

"But she's only eight! How could she make such a decision?" Lewis demanded.

"That's probably why they want you to come along as her guardians. Though I suspect they just want her to claim her lordship, so the accounts can be active again. That way they can make money from them again."

"Lordship? But she's a girl…" Selene questioned.

"Yeah... about that… Magic still considers her as male. Even if she is obviously a girl, in the case of lordships, inheritance, contracts and the like, she is still considered Harry Potter. not Rose Potter. It shouldn't cause too much of an issue, just a headache every so often."

"I can see that." Lewis said. "As long as she isn't forced into a betrothal contract or something, I'm sure we'll be able to deal with it."

"Don't jinx it." Selene said. "We'll just take her tomorrow morning. I need to pick up a few potion ingredients from the alley anyway."

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

A few hours later, the small family and their guests were gathered around the dining room table celebrating Roses 8th birthday. The table was full of various foods, and a large homemade cake sat centerpiece. Along the far wall, a small pile of presents was stacked, silently begging to the young girl to be opened.

"Go on… Finish your dinner, I'm sure your presents will still be there when you're done." Selene said exasperated.

"Sorry mum…" Rose then proceeded to scarf down the rest of her plate, only as young children were capable of doing. Selene surreptitiously added a few more vegetables to Rose' plate while she wasn't looking, trying to balance out the sugar intake from the cake. Shortly thereafter, Eira finished as well, and they both sat impatiently waiting for the adults to finish.

"Come on Fae! You're eating too slow!" a hyper Eira exclaimed. Fae just looked at her sister, then preceded to eat excruciatingly slow just to annoy her sister. The adults at the table laughed at the put-out face of Eira, as they too finished their plates.

When everyone was finished eating, the pair of children then rushed to the pile of presents, too hyper to wait for the others. "Open mine first! Open mine first!" Eira exclaimed.

"Which one is yours?"

"This one!" Eira said, holding up a small thin package. It was rapped in an ice blue paper, stylized with snowflakes seemingly moving across the package.

"Wow! This is cool paper! Where did you get it?" Rose asked.

"I made it! But there are some like it in Diagon Alley. I'm sure your mum can find you some next time she visits."

"I'll have to ask!" She then proceeded to tear open the wrapping, revealing a small leather-bound journal. On the cover, an embossed rose surrounded by snowflakes sat. "It's beautiful!"

"I thought you might want to have a diary or journal. If nothing else, you have something to draw on."

"Thank you!" Rose exclaimed, hugging it to her chest.

Fae leaned over to Selene and quietly spoke. "The journal is enchanted to replace any lost pages and will never run out of paper. The journal itself cannot be damaged in anyway, unless Rose herself intentionally wants to damage it."

"Thanks. She had been mentioning that she wanted a diary… not sure what she'd write in it though. She doesn't tend to keep any secrets from us."

"Most young girls desire one. It could be something that she overheard another talking about and wanted one for herself." They returned their attention back to the two girls before them. By then, Rose had already opened a few more presents, and a small pile of treasures were piled beside her.

After a short while, Rose finished with her unwrapping, and had moved her new toys and clothes to her bedroom. As night was fast approaching, the Moore family began to say their goodbye's to Fae and Eira. They were interrupted however when a teenage girl came rushing into the house.

"I'm not too late, am I?" said the teen.

"No, Lumikki. You're just in time. We were just leaving." Fae said, slightly smug.

The teen gave a petulant look to her elder sister, before presenting Rose with a shoddily wrapped gift. "Sorry kiddo. It took me a while to finish wrapping your present."

"It took you six hours to wrap a present like that?" Eira exclaimed.

"Well… not exactly, but I got here in time, didn't I?"

"Barely." By then, Rose had finished unwrapping her latest gift. Removing the paper, she discovered an ornate looking jewelry case. Opening it up, Rose gasped in surprise. Inside laid a golden chain bracelet with several charms hanging from it. Most of the charms were that of roses and snowflakes, but that didn't detract from the beauty of the bracelet.

"Is that what I think it is?" Fae asked Lumikki.

"Yes. Wearing it should mask her fey presence. Also, it should absorb some of her excess magic, allowing for an emergency source of energy. It's charmed to be impossible to be removed by anyone other than the wearer, and has several protective runes imbedded within the charms themselves."

Selene and Lewis, overhearing the conversation as Rose exclaimed its beauty, smiled at each other. They were well aware at the danger of revealing Rose' true identity was fraught with danger. This bracelet should mitigate that, allowing for some modicum of protection. Selene had a question though.

"What is it made from? It doesn't look quite like gold."

"That's because it isn't. not truly. It's made from runic silver, overlaid with a dusting of fairy gold. The silver will allow her channel magic through it, and the fairy gold will keep it from melting from the magic corseting through it." Lumikki answered.

"That sounds wildly expensive." Lewis said.

"Well it would have been if I had purchased it. It probably could buy the entire city block if sold to the right person. But I personally crafted it from its base materials. That's what took me so long."

"Ah."

Rose then proceeded to hug the life out of the teen. "Thank you. It's very beautiful."

"You're welcome. Just remember, wear it always. It will keep you safe."

"Thank you." The fey trio then said their goodbyes and proceeded to leave the Moore family behind. Rose then yawned, as it was a long and busy day for her.

"You should head up to bed young miss. We have a busy day tomorrow." Lewis said gently. He then picked her up and carried the girl up the stairs.

"Where are we going?"

"We have to go to Gringotts tomorrow. The goblins want to see you for something. Then we'll probably spend some time in the alley, looking around."

"You mean I can finally go with you?" Rose asked excitedly.

"Yes love. You can come with us now."

"Yay!"


	5. Chapter 5-Gringotts

**A/N: I personally can't wait until I get this story into the Hogwarts years. I keep forgetting that Rose is only eight at the moment and keep trying to use language that very few eight year old's could use, much less understand. The problem is my youngest sister, when she was also eight, had such a vocabulary.**

 **Chapter 4**

Severus Snape was not having a good day. The problem was is that it was placed in the middle of a horrible week, within a horrible decade. Even though the sun was shining around him, and the people surrounding him were generally happy, the dour faced man was drowning in frustration.

"Back again professor?" a sales clerk asked him for the fifth time that week.

"Yes." Snape snapped. "Some dunderhead melted another six cauldrons. I'm beginning to think I shouldn't have taken up that apprentice. He's cost me more gold than he's making me."

"Do you just want the ingredient replenishment right now then? Might save you a trip."

"No! Why would… Actually yes. I'll charge it to that dunderhead's family. Get some good from that horrible waste of humanity."

The clerk just shook his head, used to this customer's complaints about his so-called pupils. Handing over the purchases, he simply nodded to Snape, and wished him well. "Good luck. Hope I don't see you again today."

Snape let a growl loose before storming out of the shop. The crowd parted slightly around him as he stalked his way back to the floo point located within the Leaky Cauldron. Yet, before he made it back to the dingy pub, he was stopped by a hated voice.

"Ah! Severus! I didn't expect to see you here!" A smooth voice, dripping with hidden malice, called out to him.

Turning around, Snape ensured his face was as impassive as always before responding. "Lucius."

"What a surprise seeing you here! I would have thought you would have been locked away in that stuffy old castle. What brings you here on such a fine day?"

Snape could tell that Lucius Malfoy was simply toying with him. For some reason or another, Lucius was grandstanding here in the middle of the alley. Probably providing himself with an alibi for some shady deal or another.

"Cut to the chase, Lucius. I have an incompetent apprentice to get back to. Hopefully he's blown himself up by now, so I won't have to deal with him any longer."

"Surely you can spend some time with your godson's father? Have I ever steered you wrong?"

' _Yes_.' Snape thought to himself. ' _Many a time_.' "Sadly, I must depar…" Just then, Snape thought he saw a ghost, and not the kind that inhabited Hogwarts. A flash of familiar fiery hair, and a glint of those brilliant green eyes that he had ingrained into his memory, knowing full well that he would never see them again. "Lily?" he whispered desperately to himself.

The ghost seemed to vanish into the crowd, no one the wiser. Snape, desperate to get another glimpse, even if it was to prove it was just a figment of his mind, brushed past the hated man not caring for the consequences. Luckily for Snape, Lucius had gotten what he came for, and simply shrugged it off.

Snape pushed through the crowd, searching for that head of hair or those emerald eyes. It wasn't long before he spotted the girl of his imagination again. She was climbing the stairs of Gringotts, along with a young couple that didn't look anything like her.

He pushed through the crowd further, desperately hoping against hope that this wasn't just a dream, or some horrible nightmare. Rushing through the front doors of Gringotts, he was just in time to hear the woman speak to the fiery redhead.

"Now Rose, you need be respectful. These goblins are not to be trifled with. They guard not only your vaults, but the rest of Gringotts as well. Offending them could cause us to lose access to whatever money was left for you by your birth parents."

"Yes mum." The girl, now identified as Rose, said. Snape was just about to leave, hopes all but crushed when the next thing heard brought them soaring back to heights unobtainable before.

"Three to see the Potter Accounts Manager. We have an appointment." The man with them had said.

"Names?" The goblin teller asked.

"Lewis Ambrose Moore, Selene Anne Moore nee Nott, and Rose Lily Potter."

"Wait here." The goblin said, seemingly gaining great pleasure in turning his open sign to close, causing the wizard behind the small family to groan before he moved on to the next teller. The goblin scurried off further into the bank.

Snape was standing ramrod straight. ' _Did Lily have another child? One unknown even to the great Albus Dumbledore? But how?_ ' There was no mistaking the girl for any other, as she was an exact copy of her deceased mother. Even the way she carried herself, with quiet confidence yet underlaid with hidden shyness, was all Lily.

Whatever the case, Snape had to vacate the area before he was called out for stalking. Regardless of his feelings on the matter, he had to return to the castle soon, before his apprentice seriously harmed his wallet. Or the castle.

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

"Good afternoon Account Manager Sharpclaw." Selene said upon entry to the opulent office.

"Who are You?" The goblin asked gruffly. "I was under the impression I was meeting with Lord Potter."

"This is Rose Potter. Previously known as Harry James Potter." Lewis said, slightly offended at the goblin's tone.

"That is hard to believe. Our records indicate no such change of gender, or name. We have had many try to claim to be Lord Potter, though not one such brazenly wrong as this. Now leave, before I have you thrown out."

Something about the way the goblin was acting resonated within Rose. She felt that something needed to be said but didn't know quite yet what was needed to diffuse the tense situation. Either way, she needed to try.

"Excuse me. Mr. Goblin? They are telling the truth. I am Harry Potter. As well as Rose Potter. You see, I kind of died when I was five…"

The glare on the goblin's face was quite fierce. "If you died when you were five, how is it that you stand here before me? In a new body to boot?"

"I…" She didn't know how, nor did she understand what was going on. Why was the goblin so angry? She tried to hide behind her adoptive mother, fearful of the glare she was given. However, the sleeve of the dress she was wearing fell down her arm during her shifting, revealing the bracelet she was given.

The goblin, upon catching sight of the bracelet, seemed to freeze for a moment. Very slowly and delicately, he asked, "Where did you get that bracelet girl?"

Rose hid further behind her mother, while Lewis defensively answered the goblin. "It was a gift from a family friend. She got it for her birthday last night."

Still very delicately, completely opposite from how he was acting before, he asked, "Might I have a closer look young one?" Rose shook her head, fearfully.

"Go on honey, I'm sure it will be fine." Selene said, pushing Rose forward while leveling a fierce glare at the goblin.

Rose, very slowly, approached the desk her arm outstretched. When she was close enough, the goblin gently grasped her wrist, pulling her closer still. Leaning forward to gain a closer look upon the piece of jewelry, the goblin exclaimed in shock, "Fairy gold. Enchanted fairy gold. Where did you say you got this young one?"

"From Lumikki, my friend Eira's older sister."

Sharpclaw seemed to be stunned by this revelation. He needed to pry for more information if his suspicion was true. "Is, by chance, there another sister involved as well?"

"You mean Fae? She is the eldest."

The goblin sat back in shock. He looked at the adults before him, searching for their reactions to this news. When they simply looked on impassively, with no deceit in their eyes. He began to understand fully who, rather what he was dealing with.

"Rose, was it?" At her nod, he continued. "Alright, Rose. I'm going to ask for a sample of your blood. This will tell me a few things about you, mainly if there is any proof to your claims of being Lord Potter." _'It would also reveal any discrepancies with her heritage as I suspect'_ the goblin thought. Rose looked aghast at that, trying to back away from the goblin. She was stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder. Only recognizing the hand of her father did she calm down.

"What will gathering her blood entail?" Lewis asked calmly, well aware of the procedure.

"I will simply need to prick her finger and allow a small amount of blood to pool within a special bowl. From there, I will be able to continue with the ritual without her input. Her finger will of course be healed upon completion."

"Are you okay with that dear?" Selene asked softly. Rose slowly nodded her head, looking into her mother's eyes, looking for any malice. Finding none, she relaxed slightly and presented her hand to the goblin.

The goblin pulled a small ritual knife out of a desk drawer, as well as a stone bowl. Placing the bowl in the center of the desk, he then gently took Rose's hand, and pricked her middle finger with the end of the knife. After a few drops of blood had fallen into the bowl, the goblin wrapped her hand with his own, allowing his personal magic to quickly heal the girl.

When the healing was complete, he allowed Rose to return to her mother, and continued on with the ritual. He pulled out a piece of thick parchment and a blood red quill. Dipping the quill in the blood, he then placed the quill in the center of the parchment and let go. The quill began to write by itself, quickly filling the page with Gobbledygook, the goblin language.

After a moment, the quill came to a stop. Picking up the parchment, the goblin began to read aloud. "Son of James Charlus Potter and Lily Potter nee Evans." The goblin's eyebrow furrowed at a specific line in the text. "Heir Apparent of House Potter, Heir Apparent of House Black, Heir Presumptive of House Gryffindor, Heir Presumptive of House Peverel, Heir Presumptive of House Slytherin." He set the parchment down and leveled a reverent stare at Rose before continuing, "Sole member of the Summer Circle and protectee of the Winter Circle."

"Will any of that be a problem Account Manager Sharpclaw?" Lewis asked worryingly.

"Most of it? No. However the last bit, containing the Fey Circles? Most definitely, if that information leaves these hallowed halls."

"Will any of that information leave than?" Selene asked accusingly.

Instead of answering, the goblin simply set the parchment alight with a nearby candle. "I am bound by secrecy oaths to the Potter line, preventing me from revealing any information wished to be kept secret. I however require a direct order from Lord Potter here, detailing exactly what information shall not be released."

"We will ask of you that upon completion of our business here. There may be more that will need to be keep confidential." Selene said, smartly.

"Very well, Mrs. Moore. Then let us begin on the matters that I requested Lord Potter here for. As this is private family information, she will need to decide if you two shall be privy to the information or not."

Lewis looked sharply at the goblin after that quote but was stopped from retorting by his wife's hand placed upon his shoulder. "Very well, Accounts Manager."

Rose looked at her parents before looking back at Sharpclaw. "I will let them to hear this information. They are my family. However, no one else is to know."

The goblin understood what Rose was implying. "Very well. Please sit." At his gesture, three high backed chairs appeared before his desk. The Moore family quickly sat down, ready for business. "First things first. Might I ask as to why you haven't answered any letters that have been sent to you? Not only is it a crime to ignore official Gringotts information, it is a huge sign of disrespect to most high-ranking officials within the bank, or even the wider wizarding world."

"Letters? The only letter I have received from the wizarding world was the letter sent yesterday."

"Are you claiming that you never received any of our correspondence at all?"

"She doesn't even have her key." Selene spoke up.

"And where would your key be, miss?"

"Key? I've never had a key. Not that I know of anyway. Though if anyone were to have it, I would assume my relatives would have stolen it from me."

Sharpclaw looked glaringly at the two adults. "Not us. Her blood relatives. She was delivered to them upon their doorstep after her parents' death. She… ah… was given to us after they nearly killed her on Christmas, 1985. She didn't arrive with any belongings, keys or otherwise." Lewis said.

"Are you saying that she was 'delivered' as you say, to one Petunia Dursley nee Evans and Vernon Dursley?" The goblin said with a growl.

"How did you know?" Rose said, shocked.

"I didn't. I just know that your only blood relative is Petunia, you mother's sister. Also, that your parents' will specifically stated that you were never to be handed over to them."

Rose's anger began to rise at that. "Who was I supposed to go to?"

"Give me a moment." Sharpclaw dug through a filing cabinet that seemed to appear from thin air behind him. After a few moments he brought a stack of parchment to his desk. He picked up the top most and looked at it for a moment. "It looks like both wills were sealed by order of the Chief Warlock, Albus Dumbledore, upon the Wizengamot."

"Can they still be viewed?" Selene asked, bewildered.

"Viewed? Yes. Enacted? No. It would require either the Chief Warlock, three quarters vote upon the Wizengamot, or the head of House Potter to unseal them so that it might be enacted."

"Who is the head of House Potter? Wouldn't it be Rose?" Lewis asked.

"Normally yes, but as she is not of age yet, and Albus Dumbledore somehow got himself declared her magical guardian through wizard law, so it technically is Dumbledore. Though he can't access any of the family vaults due to him not truly holding that title. Not for lack of trying though. The one who fully holds that title is Sirius Black, but as he is currently indisposed, he can't do anything about it."

"Sirius Black? Wasn't he the one who betrayed the Potters?" Selene asked.

"I don't know about that. All I know is that he was thrown into Azkaban without a trial, so none of his rights have been stripped from him."

"Let's just read the wills then. We can't do anything about that anyway." Rose said.

"Very well." Sharpclaw began to read the first will out loud to the family. _"I, James Charlus Potter, with sound mind, hereby leave half of my worldly possessions to first, my wife, Lily Potter nee Evans, unless it is found that she was the one to found to have been the cause of my death. The remainder shall be given to my son, Harry James Potter. If, for some reason, my wife does not outlive me, everything I own shall be placed into the family vault until Harry is declared of age, and a trust vault shall be created holding 10000 Galleons for his care. This vault is to refill every year on January first from the main vault."_

 _"_ _If my wife and I both perish and Harry survives us, he is to go to the families in order as follows;_

 _Frank and Alice Longbottom: (Godmother) Friends of the family_

 _Sirius Black: (Godfather) My brother in all but blood_

 _Minerva McGonagall: A family friend_

 _Any willing family that has no ties to a Death Eater, proven by a vow upon life and magic_

 _A magical orphanage_

 _Under NO circumstances is he to go to the Dursleys. I don't quite know what made Lily so furious at them, but if she was willing to kill them herself before I calmed her down, then they are not a good home for Harry."_

 _"_ _If by some unforeseen circumstance that both my wife and son have passed, then the Potter fortune is to be split between Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, unless any of them have been discovered as the cause of the death of my family."_

 _"_ _Witnessed by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, and Potter Account Manager Sharpclaw."_ The Moore family sat back in shock. It took a moment before they recovered.

"How much you want to bet that Dumbledore was the one to leave Rose at the Dursley's?" Lewis said gruffly.

"Fool's bet." The goblin stated. "Let's continue, shall we?" After getting their affirmations, he began. _"I, Lily Potter nee Evans, with sound mind, hereby leave half of my worldly possessions to, my husband, James Charlus Potter, unless it is found that he was the one to found to have been the cause of my death. The remainder shall be given to my son, Harry James Potter. If, for some reason, my husband does not outlive me, everything I own shall be placed into the family vault until Harry is declared of age, except for the property known as Lily's Pad located in Spinner's End. That is the Evans family home and is owned entirely by me."_

 _"_ _If my Husband and I both perish and Harry survives us, he is to go to the families in order as follows;_

 _Frank and Alice Longbottom: (Godmother) Friends of the family_

 _Sirius Black: (Godfather) My brother in all but blood_

 _Minerva McGonagall: A family friend_

 _Any willing family that has no ties to a Death Eater, proven by a vow upon life and magic_

 _A magical orphanage_

 _Under NO circumstances is he to go to my sister's family, the Dursley's. I have taken upon myself to strike them from both the Potter family, and the Evans family. They are deplorable people and deserve no less than that for what they did to me."_

 _"_ _If by some unforeseen circumstance that both my husband and son have passed, then all I own is to be granted to a worthy charity or charities decided by my friend Alice Longbottom."_

 _"_ _Witnessed by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, and Potter Account Manager Sharpclaw."_

"Okay. I almost want to know what the Dursley's did to my mother now." Rose said.

"If it's anything like what they did to you, then I can see why she went through such extreme measures to ensure you wouldn't go there." Selene said.

"Just for her to be sent there anyway." Lewis said. He let out a heavy sigh, re-centering his thoughts. "That's all in the past now. From what we learned, we can assume that Dumbledore is somehow blocking Rose's mail, and also has her key to her trust vault."

"Those are both serious crimes by our treaties. And for such a high-profile member of the British wizarding government, he very nearly could cause a war between our two nations. The only reason that he won't, is because us goblins know that we wouldn't gain any significant ground by doing so."

"It's that serious?" Lewis said, shocked by the news.

"Only because it is the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, also the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW. Any other patron of Gringotts, and it would simply be just a fine, or possible banning from doing business with us."

"That… makes a lot of sense. Dumbledore truly holds all those titles?"

"Those and more."

"Okay then." Rose said, getting bored with the conversation. "What else did you want us here for?"

"I would like you to claim your lordship over House Potter. As the last living heir, and with your eighth birthday having just passed, you are capable of claiming your lordship."

"What would that do for me?" Rose asked.

"First and foremost, it will remove all magical guardians that may or may not have claim over you. Secondly, it allows you greater access to your accounts, though you still cannot remove anything from the family vault. Lastly, it adds some protection from others trying to control you or your accounts. Legally that is."

"What do I need to do?"

"First, do you have a wand? Or at the very least, some other form of magical focus?"

"No sir. I am the only one able to do magic in my family. I haven't got a wand yet."

"Actually Rose, your bracelet should be able to suffice for something like this. It won't cast any spells, but it does allow channeling of your magic." Selene spoke up, remembering the information that Lumikki gave her the previous night.

"Oh. Okay, what do I need no do then?"

"Simply raise your arm, placing your arm across your chest, and repeat after me." After ensuring she had done so properly, the goblin began. "I, Harry James Potter, hereby claim the lordship of House Potter, as is my right by birth. I swear by my magic to uphold my family's virtues and honor with all the will I can muster. By my magic, so I swear, so mote it be!"

After Rose completed the oath, deep maroon magic fell upon her like a cloud, enshrouding her from sight. She could feel the magic judging her, seeing if she was worthy of the family magics. After a tense moment, the magic swirled, pulling itself into a ring that now adorned her right hand. With a flash, the magic within the room dissipated. Speaking the words that sprang into her mind, she proclaimed " _Audaces fortuna iuvat_!" The ring then resized upon her finger and changed into a more feminine style, yet still clearly denoted the head of the family.

"Congratulations Lord Potter. You are now officially head of the Potter family. Are there any questions you have before we continue?" The goblin spoke reverently.

"What does heir apparent and presumptive mean? I heard you mention those when you took my blood."

"To be an Heir Apparent is to be the most obvious choice for the next in line. For example, your birth father was Lord Potter, and you were the firstborn son. When he decided to pass on the mantle, or as in this case, died, you would then become Lord. However, the head of the family, which is you by the way, could have decided on another more deserving heir if so desired. Heir Presumptive is to be an heir, yet not necessarily be the next in line. For example, your heirship of Gryffindor. There are most likely many heirs out there, as his is an old family. But unless one comes forward with definitive proof of their bloodline and right to claim, the lordship lays dormant."

"Okay… I think I got that. Is there anything special to do now that I'm Lord Potter?"

"No. the lordship purely is over your family and any property you might have. It doesn't make you royalty or anything."

"Good. I don't really want to be a princess or something."

The goblin looked slightly sheepish at that. "But you are. Being of the Summer Circle means you are of fey royalty. And you being the last of Summer means you are technically the Summer Queen, though I have no idea what that will entail, nor how you would go about claiming that title."

"Great." Rose said sarcastically. She looked at her parents after that revelation.

"Hey! Don't look at me! You were always our little princess. You'll have to ask the Winter Circle about that." Lewis said jovially.

"But how? I've never met them!"

"Yes you… Oh. Well, I'll just post a letter or something. We'll get in contact with them, don't you worry." Selene said.

"Thanks mum."

"Shall we get back to business?" Lewis inquired.

"Very well." The goblin stated. He pulled out a thick file from his desk. "These are the current holdings of the Potter family. Please look through them while I sort through the rest." He handed Rose a parchment full of numbers.

Looking over it, she was shocked silent. She was rich! Well, not totally. She had enough to live comfortably for the rest of her life, and then possibly her children, if she had only one. She silently looked over the property section and saw a handful of locations. There was a place located in Godric's Hollow labeled as claimed by the ministry, a large manor that was labeled as partially destroyed. There was the property that was labeled as Lily's Pad. This looked like the only one that was still in any condition to visit.

After she was finished, she handed the parchment over to her adopted father. "Shit Rose! You're loaded!" he exclaimed.

Selene leveled a glare at him, before asking, "Is this a total amount? Or is it only liquid holdings?"

The goblin, having finished with his own paperwork, answered "That is liquid holdings. I know that there are several family heirlooms in the vaults that are worth quite a lot if you wished to sell, and there is a hand full of muggle stocks that seem to be doing quite well."

"Muggle stocks?" Selene asked, bewildered.

"It seems that during the last war, James Potter moved a significant portion of his wealth over to the muggle world and invested it. I assume it was under direction from his muggle-born wife of course."

"What would be the total worth is everything was sold right this moment?" Lewis asked, trying to get a handle on how wealthy his daughter was.

The goblin looked at a few pages he held. "Under a rough estimate, of course, I would guess that she would have around ten million galleons. Converting that to muggle currency, she would have just under fifty million pounds. This is of course ignoring heirlooms, as some may not have any value other than sentimentality."

Lewis sat back, gob smacked at the shear wealth that his adoptive daughter possessed. "Okay… Okay… Rose? What do you intend to do with the money? Personally, I would keep it here until you graduate and decide on what you want to do in life. Whether that is graduating from a university or Hogwarts would be left up to you."

Rose didn't know at all what she wanted to do with the money. But she did hear she had some properties that might repaired. "How much would it cost to repair the manor?"

"I would have to send a team to survey the damage, and then salvage what they could, but I can't see it going over a million galleons. The manor itself isn't that large in comparison to most pureblood holdings, so it shouldn't cost that much."

"Alright then. What do you mean when you said that the house in Godric's hollow was claimed by the ministry? Does that mean I don't own it? If so, why is it listed?"

"You still hold the deed for the property, but the Ministry of Magic basically pays you rent in order to keep it as a national monument. It currently makes you about a thousand galleons every year."

"And Lily's Pad? Is it in good condition?"

"As of the last survey, around five years ago, yes."

"Okay. I want you to send your team out to the manor and survey it or whatever. Please send the price to me before we continue."

"Very well."

"As for the Godric's Hollow house, allow the ministry to continue renting the place, as I don't really want to see the place my parents died right now."

"Understandable."

"Lastly, send a team to see that Lily's Pad is still within working order."

"It will be done."

"Thank you." Rose smiled genuinely at the goblin. The goblin seemed a bit put off by the nicety that this family was showing him.

"Is there anything we should also be made aware of?" Lewis asked.

"There is just a list of past transactions to get through at the moment. Any other business such as investments and the like are still restricted until she reaches her majority." The goblin then handed Rose a parchment that was covered with various lists of previous transactions.

Rose looked over it, and then paled. Written on the parchment, every year upon her birthday, 9000 Galleons was removed from the trust vault, leaving it nearly empty. The vault would then refill every year in January. The note next to the transaction claimed that an Albus Dumbledore was emptying her vaults!

Rose's face contorted into a snarl, and her eyes became hard. "Who is this man? Why is he stealing my money?" she demanded.

"What?" Lewis asked, snatching the parchment from her and looking over it as well.

The goblin, impressed with the girl, answered slowly. "Albus Dumbledore. He comes here every July 31st and makes a large transaction. He has always had your vault key and claims to be taking the money to pay the guardians of Harry Potter."

"Who does he claim the guardianship belongs to?" Selene asked coldly.

"I am unsure. As you can see there, the first few years it was claimed that it was the Dursley's, but after a while he stopped claiming that, and simply took the money."

Upon hearing of the family that treated her so harshly before, and that a large portion of her money was being paid to them, memories came unbidden to Rose. Every harsh word, every beating, everything came back to her. Her eyes began to glow with power as her anger grew. Her hair, already fiery, seemed to become enflamed, and an uncomfortable heat began to flood the room. With that the runes inscribed upon her bracelet began to glow a fiery red, pulsing with an inner beat. Rose slowly stood from her seat and approached the desk.

"I want every Knut back for that horrid family. They do not deserve to have my money when they didn't even raise me." She said with an impressive growl. She was leaning on the desk bringing her face close to the goblin. "I also want everything back from Albus Dumbledore. I, nor my parents, never authorized him to make those transactions. If it is because he has my key, then he stole that from me, as I never gave it to him, nor even met him."

The goblin, very impressed with the girl's ferocity, slowly pulled back in not a little fear. "I'm sorry, but I can't get anything back from the Dursley's. The money was transferred out of our control. However, we can charge Albus Dumbledore for the theft of your bank key, as that is a serious crime."

"How much will you charge him?" Selene asked sharply.

"70,000 Galleons. 63,000 shall be returned to you as a reward for notifying us of such a breach. The remainder is, of course, my fee for this transaction." The goblin said carefully, watching Rose. "As of this moment, your key will be destroyed, and a new one will be made for your trust vault, unless you wish to close it entirely. Sadly, there is a five Galleon charge for the new key."

"That is acceptable." Rose said, beginning to calm. Her hair settled back down, but her eyes still glowed. "Is there anything else we need to know about?"

"There is an unfinished marriage contract that has been filled out between you and a mis Ginevra Weasley."

Selene glared at Lewis for a moment before Rose spoke up. _"_ _ **Burn it.**_ _"_ She stated, her voice filled with raw power.

"Will do." With that, he picked up a document from the desk and held it over the nearby candle.

"Is there anything else?" Lewis asked.

"Not that I'm aware of, no." With that, her eyes returned to normal. She backed off the desk and retuned to her seat. The goblin looked down at where her hands were laid upon his desk and saw two handprints burned into the wood.

"Very well. Just to let you know, I will be charging you for a new desk as you ruined mine."

Rose looked sheepish at that. "Sorry."

"No matter. Your anger was well placed. Though I suggest learning to control the fiery aspect of it." The goblin the gathered up the remaining parchments that had slightly singed due to the heat that Rose had put off. "Unless you have more need of me, I have nothing left to inform you of."

Rose looked back at her parents, and seeing their shake of their head, turned back to the goblin. "No. I believe we have everything we need. When can I expect the new key?"

"When you return to the front, just approach a teller, and they should be able to accommodate you."

"Alright then. Thank you for your service." Rose said as she and her family got up to leave. "Oh, and don't reveal any of my personal information that was discussed here." They all left the office, and after picking up the key, left Gringotts.

Sharpclaw, after the Moore's had left his office, proceeded to run to the doors of the bank manager. He knocked a tad impatiently, but quickly calmed down while making himself presentable. When the door opened for him, he immediately began to speak. "Ragnok! I have urgent news!"


	6. Chapter 6-The Dungeon Bat

**A/N:** **I edited most of the previous chapters. Minor details here and there, nothing too important.**

 **Chapter 5**

"You've been acting odd lately, Severus. What's going on my boy?" Albus asked his potions professor. Snape had just come back from yet another trip to the alley in a vain attempt at seeing the ghost of Lily again. He had been trying to find out more information ever since that day, several months ago.

"It's nothing." Snape said gruffly. "I haven't been sleeping well."

"And your strange disappearances? You seem to spend most of your free time outside of the castle." Albus said, his eyes twinkling in concern.

"I've been trying to hunt down an old friend." Severus said evasively. "I saw them a while back, and I haven't been able to discover where they got off to." He intentionally kept his gaze from meeting the headmaster's. He may be a master at occlumency, but Albus seemed to have an annoying ability to see through his shields.

"An old friend? I was under the impression that you didn't have any!" Karkus Abbot, the defense against the dark arts professor exclaimed. He was an old, dumpy looking man who rarely seemed to be even capable of telling which end of the wand to point at his target.

Snape leveled a hateful glare at the man, silently hoping that the curse would get to him sooner rather than later. The Great Hall was mostly empty during the winter holidays, but there were several students seemingly laughing at Snape' misfortune.

"If you'll excuse me, I left a cauldron on the fire." Snape said, robes billowing as he left the table. The teachers entrance slammed shut behind him as he exited the hall.

Albus just sighed, not bothering to go after the man. He would have to catch up to him later.

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

"Rose! Come down here! There's someone here that needs to talk with you!" Selene called.

Running feet could be heard as Rose descended the stairs. She came to the living room and stopped dead in the doorway. Before her sat a beautiful woman with blue skin and flowing white hair.

"Hello Rose." The woman said. Rose awoke from her stupor and sat down on the chair across from the woman. Her mother was sitting on the couch with the woman, chatting amicably with her.

"Who're you?" Rose asked tactlessly. Selene glared at Rose, who gave a sheepish look back at her mother. The woman, however, chuckled at the by play.

"I am Blizzard of the Winter Circle, young Summer. I was contacted by your mother here, because you recently found out about your heritage."

"You mean you're a fairy princess like me?"

"Not exactly. I am one of three of the Winter Circle. We share the power equally, though I am the eldest. I'm here today to inform you of what exactly you are to expect from being fey."

"The goblin said something about me being a queen or something."

Blizzard laughed at that. "Queen indeed. You are the last of the Summer Circle, at least that we know of, and already considered fey royalty. You technically hold the same rank that I do, though you also could be considered a queen, as there are no others who hold your title. Basically, you're queen by default."

"Good. I'd rather be a princess than a queen." Blizzard smirked at that.

"Either way, there are a few important things that I need to tell you. First, you can't tell anyone about your heritage. If people were to find out, you would be hunted down, captured, and possibly killed."

"Why?" Rose asked fearfully.

"Because the fey circles hold a lot of magic power, and if they were to die off, that magic could be siphoned off. Basically, each Circle, which there are two remaining, acts as a battery of sorts. All fey draw from them as both a source of magic and a source of life energy. If the Circles were to completely vanish, all fey would at the very least lose their magic, if not die outright. The Archfey, you and I, are the guardians of the Circles, and therefore can access more from them. Though there is a strange imbalance on what can be accessed. Because there is only one of the Summer Circle, you can call upon more power than myself. But because there is only you in the Circle, there is less magic all together. So in reality, I would have more as there are three of Winter."

"That sort of makes sense."

"Don't worry if it doesn't. even I can't figure out why that is. But that brings us to my last point. There is a… being… out there that is specifically trying to wipe out all fey. That is why there are so few Winter and Summer, and also why there is only those two Circles left. My sisters and I call this being the Dark One, as we don't know who or what this being actually is."

"Okay…"

"Basically, as you are still young, you should be fine, but don't go bandying about your fey magic, nor tell others about your heritage. You, as a witch, should be able to mask yourself sufficiently, at least until you reach your transformation."

"My what?"

"Transformation. After you accrue enough fey magic, which is naturally produced by your body, you will transform, leaving your human form behind. As a Summer, your hair will become like fire, you skin will become a shade of gold, and your ears will become pointed. Much like myself."

"Truly?"

"Of course. But it won't come for some time yet. Probably around your mid thirties will the transformation occur."

"So, I have time."

"Yes. Now, before I go, is there anything you wish to ask of me before I leave?"

"How can I get in contact with you? Like if I'm in danger or something?"

"Don't worry too much about danger. We of the fey always look out for our own. And as for how to contact us? Send a letter. Owls can always find us. Just please don't reveal any information within your letters. You can never know if your letters are intercepted or not."

"Okay… that's all I needed to ask."

"Then I will take my leave. Good luck Rose Potter."

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

A letter smacked Severus in the face as he awoke a few months later. The hooting of the owl sounded awfully like laughter as it fluttered out the open window. Grumbling to himself, the sallow faced man examined the letter carefully. After casting several detection charms, he slowly opened the envelope. Inside was a letter, neatly scrawled in a feminine style, was a reply to his last-ditch effort to locate the girl. He had finally exhausted his patience and had tried sending a letter to the vaguely remembered name of the family that had accompanied her.

 _Dear Severus Snape,_

 _My name is Selene Moore. I have received your curious request, and I am currently at a loss. I do not know how you found out about my daughter, Rose, but I suggest you keep that information to yourself._

 _Your request to meet with her will be denied, as I do not know who you are in relation to her. My husband and I feel that it would be inappropriate to let you near our daughter without any proper explanation. I understand that you claimed to be a friend of her mother, but there are circumstances preventing us from trusting you, and anyone else who call Hogwarts home._

 _I cannot simply allow you to meet with her, when we have kept her safe all of these years, without a single mention from you, or any other. She is very dear to us, and we won't let anything happen to her._

 _I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Selene Anne Moore nee Nott_

Snape crumpled the letter in his hand in anger at being denied his chance to discover the girl's true identity. Slowly he hid his anger behind his occlumency shields, allowing him to think clearly. _'They don't know me. Of course, they're not going to just let me visit them.'_ He thought.

Casting a spell to smooth the letter out, he began to write a quick reply:

 _Dear Selene,_

 _I understand your concern, and honestly realized how I might have come off in my previous letter. I truly only want to ask if she is really Lily's daughter. I am aware of her son, Harry Potter, but was not aware of a daughter. Especially one as old as the boy would be._

 _If she is truly Lily's daughter, then I wish to meet with her. I fully understand that you or your husband would be there and will do so in any location you choose. I have Lily's old potion and charms notes which have many private notes and such within and wish to hand them over in person. I was a classmate of hers, and also a childhood friend._

 _If you still do not wish to meet with me, then I will simply leave you and your family alone._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Severus Snape, Hogwarts Potion Professor_

He sent the letter out using a Hogwarts owl that evening, when most of the other professors were out on their summer vacations.

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

"Are you sure it will be alright?" Selene asked, concerned.

"It will be fine. I will be there with you, and the others will be watching." Fae reassured her, amused at the situation.

"And are you certain that we can trust in him?"

"Trust him? Heavens no! But at the very least give him a chance. My sisters and I have been watching him, and we believe he is honest in his explanation to you. His main motivation seems to be searching for redemption or forgiveness for his past sins against Lily. I think he sees Lily, not Rose at the moment, and as such, he won't do anything to harm his chance."

"Do you know what he did to seek for forgiveness?"

"I believe he blames himself for her death. He was a Death Eater until he turned on Voldemort." Selene flinched at the name. "I'm not sure about his motivations for joining the Dark Lord originally, but he tried desperately to redeem himself for what he had done. But I will say he is a right awful git in his methods at times."

"That doesn't reassure me."

"I'm sure it doesn't. If it did, I would worry about how you raised Rose. But no matter. If it helps, you can leave at any time. I can deal with him, and make sure he leaves Rose alone."

"I'm just glad we're leaving Rose at home for this meeting."

"Just bring a photo. Muggle or otherwise. Just to reassure him we're not stringing him along. Not a lot of people like him all that much, and he might think we're out to get him."

"Well, you said he is a right awful git. I can see why people don't like him."

"Part of it is that they're gits to him in return. It's a self-perpetuating cycle."

"Doesn't make it right for him to act like that."

"No, it doesn't."

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

"Where are you going Severus? You seem almost elated."

"Nowhere important Albus. I finally got in contact with that old friend I mentioned. I'm on my way to meet with them."

"Alright then. Just hurry back, I'll need your help when I go looking for young Harry again."

"Are you sure that the Potter brat isn't dead? You said that all your tackers aren't working."

"I'm sure. Only one seems to be working, the one that states that he is alive."

"Have you been able to see his life stone? Maybe your little device is faulty."

"No. The goblins seem to be preventing me from seeing it. Lately they've been acting more aggressive towards me, so I might have to back off with my requests."

Snape scoffed at that. "You know, if they're protecting that life stone so actively, then maybe he is still alive. If he were dead, wouldn't they proclaim it as such? If nothing else than to get their greedy paws all over the Potter wealth."

"That is an interesting perspective. Maybe that is the case here. Thank you, Severus. You've given me hope."

Snape just rolled his eyes. "If you'll excuse me, I must be off. I'm already running late."

"Be seeing you then."

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

The Leaky Cauldron was filled to the brim with patrons. With summer almost over, they were giving it one last hurrah before they would have to return to their respective jobs or school. Even those who weren't on vacation seemed to be celebrating over something.

The private room on the second floor, however, was silent. Two women were waiting on their companion's arrival. Fae, who was acting quite bored, suddenly perked up. "I believe he's here."

"Took him long enough." Selene said, exasperated.

"Probably was held up by someone. He's not too late."

"I expected him to be waiting on us. Not the other way around. Oh well."

Just then, a knock sounded upon the door. "Come in, Professor." Fae said.

Severus Snape walked into the room carefully. He was looking around as if he was waiting for something to come out at him. He looked at the two women suspiciously for a moment, before continuing to examine the room.

"We're not going to hurt you Severus." Selene said carefully.

"I'm not worried about you. I seem to be followed by a pair of pranksters. It seemed every step I took in the bar, something happened to me or another close by." Fae looked amused at that.

"It might be the Weasley twins. I saw them downstairs as we headed up. I've heard that they're quite the menace at home." Selene said. "Their mother complains constantly about them when I see her in the apothecary. Something about wasting all their ingredients on pranks."

"Great. They're due to start Hogwarts this coming term. It will be a long seven years." Snape said in reply.

"Go ahead and sit down, and we can get started." Snape quickly joined the two women at the table. "If you will, could you put up some privacy wards? No need for eavesdroppers."

"You can't put them up yourself?" Snape asked.

"She's a squib. And I don't know how myself. I never had a use for them." Selene looked questioningly at her for that but understood why Fae had said that. No fey magic should be used in such a crowded area. Don't know who could be watching.

"Very well." Snape said, drawing his wand. A few spells later, he retuned his attention to the women before him. What he didn't notice, was that Fae placed a minor compulsion on Snape to tell the truth, and to trust in them.

"Now, before we begin, you need to understand that anything we say here must be kept secret. There are those that might be looking for her that could hurt her." Selene said.

"Who would be looking for her? I didn't even know she existed until I spotted her in the alley."

Selene sighed at that. So that's how he found them. "You'll understand in a while. First off, yes. She is Lily Potter's child." She slid a photograph over to Snape. He looked at it, wide eyed. "We are also aware at how closely she resembles her mother as well."

"But how? She only had one child with James." Snape said the name with no small amount of hate. Fae and Selene looked at each other for a moment. Fae nodded, allowing Selene to continue.

"Do you know a Petunia Dursley nee Evans?"

"Yes. She was Lily's sister. Why is she important?"

"It will become clear in a moment." Fae said. "But to continue, do you know how much she hated magic?"

"Yes. She despised Lily for it. I believe it started out as simple jealousy, but soon grew to utter hatred."

"Yes, well… Anyway, what would you think would happen if a magical child, specifically one birthed by Lily, would have been treated by her and her husband?"

Snape's eyes widened. "They would probably be mistreated. Abused even. Most likely in a misguided attempt to remove the magic from the child. If I where to make a guess, the child would probably become an obscurial."

"Yes, well, luckily that didn't happen." Selene said.

Snape's eyes narrowed at the insinuation. "Are you saying that Lily's child was raised by Petunia?"

"Yes. Up until almost four years ago now."

Snape's eyes hardened in anger. He slammed his occlumency shields over his temper, attempting to contain his rage. "What happened to her? What did she do to Lily's daughter?"

"That's where we need your assurance that nothing will leave this room. We will need a vow from you, to protect Rose." Selene said.

Snape glared at them for a moment before drawing his wand. "I, Severus Tobias Snape, hereby vow to never reveal any information learned here about Rose Lily Potter without express permission from Selene Anne Moore nee Nott. As I say, so mote it be!" The flash of light surrounding Snape confirmed that the vow was accepted.

Selene blinked her eyes in surprise. "How did you know her full name?"

"I over heard it in Gringotts. That's also how I learned yours as well."

"I see. Either way, let us continue." Fae said. "Now, here is where the story gets a little strange. Rose was not raised by Petunia. Harry Potter was."

"Then why require the vow? And why tell me about this?" Snape demanded.

"We're getting to that." Fae reassured him. "Harry was raised just as you assumed, he would have been. He was beaten, starved, treated like a house elf, you get the picture. I also know that he thought his name was Freak, not Harry Potter, as they never called him anything other than freak. That is until Christmas eve, 1985."

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. The door was then opened by the bar tender, Tom. "Anything for dinner? Or to drink? I'm just about to fire up the stove."

"No. I'm good for food. But I'll take a fire whiskey." Selene said. "Fae? What about you?"

"No, I'm good. I'll just steal something from you tonight." Snape just glared at Tom for the interruption.

"Very well then." He quickly left and returned with the bottle of whiskey and a few glasses. Money changed hands, and he was off once more.

"Anyway, as we were saying," Fae continued. "On that night, Harry was locked out of the house, and forced to shovel the drive. He was already starving and wasn't wearing the proper clothing. He tried to walk to a neighbor's house in an attempt to get warm but collapsed before he could arrive."

"We're not sure how, but he called out for help through some accidental magic. Someone answered his call, but it was already too late. He was on the brink of death." Selene said.

"And that's where I come in." Fae said. "His rescuer brought him to me, as they assumed that I might be able to help. You see, I and my family are very much interested in old magics and rituals. I'm well aware that most are banned by the ministry, but they and I were desperate."

"I used an old ritual that would essentially create a temporary catalyst to store his magic and soul in so that we could repair his body. The ritual went very wrong."

Snape looked at Fae with a strange look. "You're saying you dabble in dark magics, especially soul magics? You do know that those are extremely dangerous and that if someone in the ministry had found out, you would be executed for it right?"

"I'm aware."

"Not to mention all of the Dark Lords out there that would kill for a ritual that would do as you've described."

"I know. That's why the knowledge is locked behind a modified Fidelius. Only my family can access the knowledge, and only those of direct lineage as well. But anyway, the ritual failed. But not because of a mistake I made."

"Then how?"

"Somehow, Harry had more than one soul occupying his body."

"How?" Snape demanded.

"I'm not sure. Though we do know who they were. One was Harry, of course. Another, that we assume was his Lily's, was more of an imprint, not a true soul. This one was effectively acting as a shield, protecting Harry from the last one, a soul shard. A fragment of none other that Lord Voldemort."

"But… does that mean the Dark Lord is still alive?"

"Yes. I assume that there are more shards out there, as this one was quite small, but as long as one of them exists, Voldemort cannot die."

"Then where has he been for all this time?"

"Unknown. Probably trying to restore his body, so that he might return. But we've gotten off track. During the ritual, the souls all tried to enter the catalyst as designed. It would have still worked but it would be a bit unstable if it wasn't for the soul shard. It tried to attack Harry's soul, probably trying to take it over, or steal energy as it was very weak because of his near death. Whatever it was trying to do, however, was stopped by the soul shield. But when it did so, as the souls were no longer within a body, the shield then more or less bound itself to the catalyst. The shard remained within the boy's body, and Harry's soul was trapped behind the soul shield in the catalyst."

"I then was at a lost as to what to do. I couldn't return the boy's soul to the body as the shard would probably destroy him without the shield. I couldn't return the shield, because it had bound to the catalyst. So, I decided that I would have to create a new body for the boy, using the catalyst as a guide. I let the old body die, therefore killing the soul shard, and had the rescuer return the corpse. I then built a new body using yet another ritual, this one technically darker than the last, and transferred the catalyst within. The assumption was that as the catalyst broke down, the souls within would be released, and bind to the new body, but I was too hasty. The body hadn't fully formed yet, because the ritual would use the soul as a guide to create the new body. Kind of like a blueprint."

"The soul shield was released first, almost like it was scouting, trying to ensure that Harry's soul would be safe. But because the shield was first, the ritual used that as the blueprint, not Harry. When the ritual was complete, I had a young Lily, not Harry. I then checked to see which soul was piloting the body and found that it was Harry's soul."

"So, what you are saying, is that Rose is actually Harry?" Snape asked, confused.

"More or less. Rose is Rose. But Harry is now Rose. It's complicated. For simplicities sake, just assume that Rose is a new person, and that Harry, as he was, is now gone."

Snape began laughing at the news. Selene and Fae just looked bewildered at each other. After calming down, he explained himself. "I just got done telling Dumbledore that Harry was probably dead. He seems to believe that he isn't due to some device or another monitoring his life force, but he's not sure. Now I find that Harry is dead, but not, and that Albus will never find him!"  
"That bastard has a device monitoring Rose!?" Selene yelled.

Snape looked at Selene apologetically. "He had several, but somehow, probably when Harry died, they all stopped working. I'm not sure what they were looking at, however. All I know is that the one he has left functions similarly to a life stone but is less accurate."

"Why?"

"He seems to have some unhealthy interest in him. Now that I know a bit about Rose, I can assume that he knew about the shard, and was watching him. He was the one to put Harry with the Dursley's. Of course, I didn't know this until now, as he never said where he put him, just that he was safe."

"Safe my ass! They killed him!" Selene exclaimed.

"It's done now." Fae said. "Rose is safe, we can just ignore him. Thanks for the information, Severus. But now, that brings us to the last bit of the story. I brought Rose to Selene and her husband because I knew that they were trying for a child with no luck. They then raised her lovingly."

"I can tell. She's very happy in this picture." Snape said solemnly. "She reminds me so much of Lily. Tell me, does she show any interest in charms or potions like her mother?"

"She shows interest in potions, and I have begun teaching her on her last birthday. As for charms, she is the only witch in the house, so we don't know. We do most things the muggle way."

"That's understandable." Snape said will a small sneer.

Fae seemed to come to some conclusion and brought herself up to be a bit imposing. "What do you think of Albus Dumbledore?"

Snape narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Dumbledore has wronged Rose many times now, and everything we find out about what he has done makes us hate him even more."

"What has he done to elicit that?"

"He's stolen tens of thousands of galleons from her vaults, he had those trackers you've told us about, he placed her with the Dursleys. He sealed the will of Lily and James Potter, preventing his placement with a multitude of others, arranged an illegal marriage contract between her and a young Ginevra Weasley probably more that I'm unaware of right now." Selene said. "Tell me, why should we send her to Hogwarts? She won't be safe anywhere near him."

Snape looked pensive at that. "To tell the truth? I don't have a reason. Not one I would deem good enough. Not unless you want to rub it in his face. However, if You-Know-Who is truly still alive, it won't matter where you send her, he will find her eventually. Hogwarts would be best, if nothing else than for the protection that proximity to Dumbledore would offer. Even then, we don't know how or when the Dark Lord will return."

"I guess that reason is as good as any."

"I also made a vow to Dumbledore to protect Harry Potter from the Dark Lord's influence, even if I thought it was just his followers at the time. The vow would still apply to Rose, which means that I will protect her while she is at Hogwarts as well. Regardless if she is in my house or not."

"Why did you make the vow?" Fae questioned.

Snape looked pained at that. "I owe James Potter a life debt. Because I never repaid it, it transferred over to Harry, now Rose. In addition, I caused Lily's death, even if it was unintentional. So, in an effort to atone, I made the vow."

"How did you kill Lily?" Fae asked accusingly.

A pained look crossed Snape's face. "If I tell you, you must also swear a vow to not tell anyone. This is important information that may still be in play. Especially with the fact that He-who-must-not-be-named may be out there."

"Very well." Selene and Fae said together. Selene clasped Fae's hand, and Fae produced a false wand out of her pocket. "I, Selene Anne Moore, hereby vow to never tell anyone the information that Severus Tobias Snape is about to tell us without his express permission. As I say, so mote it be!"

"I, Fae, hereby vow to never tell anyone the information that Severus Tobias Snape is about to tell us without his express permission. As I say, so mote it be!" There was a flash of light between the two women, signifying the vow.

Snape looked at Fae for a moment. "No last name?"

"None that you would recognize as one."

"Anyway, there is a prophecy. I don't know it in its entirety, but it was made before Rose was born. During my Death Eater days, I overheard the beginning portion of it, and notified the Dark Lord. About a year later, it was discovered that two children were born that would fit the prophecy. One of them being Harry Potter. After I realized this, I begged for Lily's life, hoping that he would spare her, but he blew me off. I went to Dumbledore, as I was a spy at the time, and begged him to ensure her safety. That's when they went under the Fidelius. A few days later, their secret keeper betrayed them, and they were killed."

Fae looked pensive at that. "So, while you weren't the one to kill her, you indirectly caused her death. And you blame yourself."

"Yes."

"At least it seems you are trying to atone." Selene said. "So, we have at least one reason to send her to Hogwarts. And you're saying you will protect her?"

"I will protect her from those who wish her harm. I can't really do much about any bullies and the like."

"That, at least, is an honest answer." Selene looked over to Fae. I think this meeting has gone on long enough. Please, keep in touch. We may have more questions for you."

"Very well. Please give these journals to your daughter. They're Lily's old notes and a few diary entries. Hopefully she'll enjoy them." Snape handed Selene a small bound package from his robes.

Neither of them noticed that the compulsion had never taken.

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

"How was your meeting, my boy?" Albus asked jovially.

Severus just glared at the headmaster before sneering. "Enlightening." He then strode purposefully to his home in the dungeons, robes billowing all the while.

Albus looked after him for a moment before he shook his head. Severus was back to his old self it looked like.


	7. Chapter 7-Letters

**Hurrah! Hogwarts years! I finally can have Rose not totally childish. You have no idea how hard it was for me to decide on the eventual house of our young heroine. Then I realized what friends and allies I had intended for her misadventures and thought…. Why break from cannon? It's not any stretch of the imagination. Harry was destined for Slytherin until he begged for something else. Of course….**

 **Also Hagrid. My document editor is full of red squiggly lines whenever he speaks. I'm beginning to think he has some sort of super power or something.**

 **Chapter 6**

Albus Dumbledore had no luck finding the young missing Potter heir. For five years he searched, hoping that he would be found, and that he could rescue the young lad from a fate that he was assured would be worse than death. If only the dark families hadn't found him… it had to be a dark family. Any light family would have told him, or at least hinted. But alas, it wasn't to be so.

He knew, without a doubt, that Harry was still alive. Both his own device that tracked the young boy's magic and the reticent actions of the goblins told him as such.

He dejectedly returned to castle just before the acceptance letters would be sent out. He had to hope that Harry could still be found. Could still be reached and brought back under his watchful gaze. He had to guide the boy to the light. Hopefully he still had a chance.

He stood before the door of his deputy, drawing up all of his Gryffindor courage to allow himself to hope that not all was lost. When he felt that he was ready, he strode purposefully through the door. He was greeted by the sight of his Deputy-Headmistress and Gryffindor Head of House, Professor of Transfiguration, Minerva McGonagall, and his Head of House Slytherin, Professor of Potions, Severus Snape.

He had called them to witness his final hope of finding the boy. He had called them to witness the sending of the letters. With a nod to McGonagall, he sat before her desk and waited patiently.

Minerva pulled out from her desk a stack of parchment and activated the old enchantments on a near-by quill. The quill was linked to the Book of Admittance, and every year would write out the invitations for the new first year students. After a tense moment, the quill began to write without any source of visible ink.

Abbott, Hannah

Bones, Susan…

The list continued until the moment of truth. Out of the three of them, Snape was the least concerned about the fate of the young lad. Of course, he already knew what had happened, but hadn't dared tell Albus what he knew. He was also under oath to not reveal anything as well. Not that he wanted to notify Albus of the status of the Potter heir. No, he liked the girl too much to ruin the freedom she had.

If he thought he could get away with it, he would suggest entering her under an entirely different name. But, sadly, magic wouldn't allow it.

Granger, Hermione

Longbottom, Neville…

Albus sat up in shock at that name. He had forgotten that there was a back up for the prophecy. If Harry Potter couldn't be found… at least here was another. He would have to keep an eye on him regardless.

Perks, Sally-Anne

Patil, Padma

Patil, Pavarti…

Then finally the quill seemed to hesitate on the next name. The name that they were waiting for. It began the name and address, but it seemed to make a mistake causing the name to appear slightly smudged. But the onlookers could still read the name clearly…

Potter, Harry

None of them noticed the slight blue glow that had surrounded the quill momentarily, as they were too focused on the envelope that the quill was writing on.

Dumbledore instantly snatched the letter and address before it could be taken by the others. He stared at the address, trying to identify the location and family. Snape wasn't too worried about that. He new that Dumbledore would be unlikely to identify it as a muggle home.

"Severus? Do you recognize the address? Is it any of the dark families?" Albus said calmly. He handed the letter over to Snape, impatiently waiting for an answer.

Snape gave it a token glance, and didn't it reveal anything odd. "I am unsure. It could be a safe house that I am unaware of. It might be best If I were the one to deliver the letter. If nothing else, then my own inquiry would do less harm if it is a dark family." He said. 'I also can warn the Moore's that the headmaster is quite insistent on finding her.'

Albus seemed thoughtful at that. "Yes… Yes, I think you should. Please, ensure that he is safe."

Minerva seemed distraught at that. "If it is a dark family… What damage could have been done to him? Is he still the sweet boy we left at his Aunt's doorstep all those years ago?"

Snape glared at McGonagall with that news. He slammed his mental barriers down, allowing him to answer calmly. "We can only wait and see."

"Yes… We can only hope…" Albus said sadly.

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

Snape apparated to a nearby apparition point in the underground. He gave a once over of his attire and decided that he should change his robes into something more discreet. He quickly transfigured them into an old but respectable tweed jacket and a simple button down. He left his slacks as is and proceeded to leave the underground. It took nearly a half hour, but he was soon standing in front of the modest home of the Moore's.

He rang the doorbell and patiently waited. While he had exchanged letters with Selene, he had never met with the family as a whole. The letters where enough for him.

After a few moments the door was answered by a young preteen girl. Snape was dumbfounded by the spitting image of Lily before him. He knew he had the right place. He stood there staring at her, until she broke his stupor. "Yes?"

"Ah… Yes… Well… Can you… Is your mother home? Just tell her that Severus Snape is here. She'll know who I am."

"Alright then." She gestured him into the entryway. "I'll get her. Wait here just a moment sir."

"Very well." The girl left him standing awkwardly at the door. He used that time to clear his thoughts and bring himself back under control. A couple minutes passed before he was joined by Selene. With her was an unfamiliar man that seemed to be looking him over.

"What can I do for you Professor?" Selene asked, guardedly.

"I'm here at request of our esteemed headmaster, to deliver Rose her Hogwarts letter, and to subtly check to see if you are a dark family that has corrupted Harry Potter." He said with a smirk.

Selene's face broke into a grin at that. "Alright, follow me." She then brought him into the living room where Rose was sitting, watching a cartoon. With her sat another girl, this one with snow white hair. "Rose, dear, we will need to send Eira home now. We have an important guest here to speak with us."

Rose looked a little dejected at that. "Alright mum." As she said that, Eira looked at the strange man before her. She nodded in acceptance, and then gathered her things. She discreetly took a letter from her bag and handed it to Selene. Selene looked questioningly at it.

"An explanation." She then turned to Rose. "Probably won't see you for a while. Fae's dragging me on a 'family' vacation."

"That's alright. Have fun!" Rose said. With that, Eira left the house.

Snape looked questioningly at Selene. It was his understanding that Fae was a witch. Why send what looked like her daughter away? No matter. He wasn't here for her. Maybe there was something that he was missing.

He and the rest of the family sat down on the various furniture. "Now, Professor, please continue."

"Alright, as I said, I am here to deliver Rose her Hogwarts letter…" was all he got out before Rose let out a girlish squeal.

"Finally! I've been waiting all summer!" She exclaimed. Her father gave her a glare for interrupting. When Rose noticed, she gave a sheepish apology. "Sorry."

Snape just sat amused. Lily acted much the same way when she finally got her letter. Rose may have been a Potter offspring originally, but she was now wholly Lily's child. "Again, I'm here to deliver her letter, and to inform you that Dumbledore now knows of her location. Just not who she is."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked.

"I'm here to see if Harry Potter is coming to Hogwarts. Not Rose."

"How did you know?" Rose asked, slightly frightened by his knowledge.

"I met your mother a few years ago when I was looking for you. I was the one you gave her the journals." Rose' eyes widened at that.

"Thank you for those. They mean a lot."

"No problem. In addition, I'm here to find out if Harry was raised by a so-called dark family, and if he still has a chance to be brought back to the light." Lewis snorted at that.

"Tell him that he was raised by a branch of the Nott family. That'll put his knickers in a twist." Selene said. "It's also the truth. Even if I was disowned."

"I most definitely will." Snape said with a smirk. "And when Rose shows up instead of Harry, it's going to cause him no small amount of panic."

"Good." Rose said. "He has done too much to me either indirectly or directly for me to care."

'Yes, Definitely Lily.' Snape thought. "Alright then, I'll just pass off my letter, and give you a warning. When you arrive at the sorting ceremony, it's going to cause quite a stir. Especially when you tell them of your identity. Be prepared for that." And with that, he handed Rose the letter, and made his way out to the front door. "I'll be seeing you at Hogwarts." He then apparated away with a crack.

"That doesn't look like a very comfortable method of travel." Lewis said.

"It's not. It feels like being squished through a straw and pushed out the other end." Selene said. "Alright, Rose. We still have a little time today. We can pick up a few of your supplies, and the rest later. Go get ready, and I'll take you to the alley."

"Thanks mum!" Rose disappeared up the stairs to her room.

Selene sighed, and then opened the letter that Eira had given her.

 _Dear Selene,_

 _We regretfully inform you that the Winter Circle need to leave you and your family for a while. With Rose' entry to the wizarding world, it will be too dangerous for us to remain close. Our magic can be easily picked up around her, and it will be best if we let it lay in fallow._

 _By doing this, our magic should dissipate from around her. We'll keep in touch, we just will not be able to keep an active role with her._

 _If you need us desperately for something unforeseen, please take the object enclosed within and break it. It will cause a beacon of our magic for us to follow. Do not use this lightly, as it will also alert the Dark One to our presence._

 _Be safe,_

 _The Winter Circle._

"What does it say?" Lewis asked.

"It says that the Winter Circle will be leaving us for a time. They're afraid that their magic might be picked up when Rose enters the wizarding world, and as such, they are leaving. They also say to contact them if we need them."

"Alright. We new this day would come at some point. No use crying about it now."

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

As soon as Snape returned to the castle, he was accosted by Dumbledore in the entrance hall. "Did you find him?"

Severus internally smirked at the eager and hopeful tone that the headmaster portrayed. "Yes."

Albus blinked and the short and curt answer before continuing with his line of questioning. "Is he alright? Who has him? Will he come to Hogwarts?"

"Yes, a branch of the Nott family, and I assume so." Snape seemed to enjoy his answers a little too much.

Albus reared back as if struck. "The Nott family?" he asked in a small voice.

"Yes. Lovely couple."

"Did he seem Dark in any way? Is he still the innocent boy I left with his relatives?"

"From what I understand…. No." Snape was cracking up mentally. 'Of course, he isn't the same. He's a girl.'

"How? Where did I go wrong?"

Snape snarled at that. "Placing him with his aunt." He then stormed off to his quarters in the dungeons, good mood ruined.

Albus looked stricken at that. "I will have to ensure that he returns to the light. I can't have another incident like Riddle." He then slinked off to his office, plotting.

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

A week passed. Rose was pacing the house in anticipation of her journey to Hogwarts, the school she heard so much about. Selene just smiled wistfully at her daughter's antics and tried to keep her occupied with little to no luck.

"Dear, you can't keep running up the walls like that. You'll forget something." She knew that they had just under a month before September first, but Rose was acting like it was only a day away.

"But I need to ensure that I got everything! Did we get all of the books? How about the uniform?"

"We got most everything dear. All that's left is your wand, and a few of your books. We can go and get them now if you like." Selene said, smirking.

Rose halted her frantic pacing at that. "Can we?"

"Sure. Let me get my purse. We'll stop by Gringotts on the way, and make sure we have enough galleons for our shopping trip."

"Alright, thanks mum!"

A quick trip through the underground later, and they were standing in front of the Leaky Cauldron. Asking a passing witch to allow them through, and they were in the alley. Before them stood the large crowded shopping center for all of magical Britain. Of course, there were a few shops dotted around hear and there, not to mention Hogsmeade, but everything could be found here if you just knew where to look.

Gringotts was still the same bank, though they had to wait behind a giant of a man. He didn't seem to be looking forward to enjoying the ensuing cart ride, already a bit green around the gills. Along with that, he kept looking around himself furtively, as if he was being watched.

Rose, waiting a tad impatiently, began talking with the large man, trying to pass the time. "Hello there!"

The large man jumped in surprise, and rapidly turned around to look at her. He looked her up and down for a moment as if he was assessing her a threat. He could see the muggle clothes she was wearing, and assumed she was a simple muggleborn. Strangely, this fact seemed to calm him slightly. She also seemed oddly familiar to the large fellow. "Well, hullo 'ere young miss. First time in the Alley?"

"No. Just here to pick up some money to finish my school shopping."

"Firs' year then?"

"Yep!"

"Well, my name is Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts. Just call me Hagrid. I guess I'll be seein' ya 'round the castle this year." The more he talked with her, the more he calmed down. Strangely, the more she talked, the more she seemed to be familiar to him, yet he couldn't quite place why.

"I'm Rose! Nice to meet you!" she said, holding her hand out to shake. He took her whole hand in his and gave it a shake. Rose seemed to wobble a bit when he let go.

"What 'ouse do yer think you'll get in to?"

"I haven't heard a lot about the houses yet. I just know the names and emblems. That, and my parents were in Gryffindor."

'Must be a half-blood then.' He thought. "Surely yer parents would have told ya abou' 'em?"

Rose got a little morose at that. "No, they were killed off in the war. I never knew them."

Hagrid blinked at that. "Well then. 'orry 'bout that. Fer 'ouses 'ere's Gryffindor o' course. 'ouse o' the brave and courageous. Then 'ere's Hufflepuff. 'ouse o' the loyal and 'ard workers. Then Ravenclaw, 'ouse o' the wise and intelligent. Lastly 'ere's Slytherin 'ouse, full o' the cunnin' and guile." Hagrid's voice seemed to take on a nasty tone when he spoke of Slytherin.

Rose nodded along. "Not sure what house I'll be in. Maybe Gryffindor? Not sure."

"'on't worry 'bout it. You'll go where ya go."

"Thanks!" Just then, a goblin came and took the large man away. "See you later Hagrid!"

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

After Gringotts, the two wandered the Alley looking at the odd assortment of trinkets and other available nick-knacks. They passed bye a rather large crowd in front of the Quidditch supplies store examining the new Nimbus broom. Rose had no interest in this, and just pushed her way through, to the amusement of her mother.

Rose pulled her mother along towards Olivander's wand shop, trying to speed her along to get her wand. When the two eventually arrived through the crowd, they were briefly stopped by a formidable woman with greying auburn hair wearing a monocle.

"Susan!" she said, grabbing Rose's shoulder. "Wait… sorry there. I thought you were my charge."

"No worries Amelia." Selene said.

"Selene? I haven't seen you in almost three years! Where have you been?"

"Raising this little one here." She said gesturing to Rose. "I haven't been out much. I heard you made Head of the DMLE. Congrats!"

"Thanks. I must let you go though, I'm trying to find my Susan. You haven't seen her by chance have you?"

"I assume she has your red hair? I thought I might have seen a young girl over in the Quidditch crowd. Try there."

"Many thanks, Selene."

"No worries."

Rose then pulled her mother along, resuming her earlier quest to retrieve her wand. Selene, amused with her daughter's antics, just accepted the directions. She, herself, was beginning to become excited with the prospect of having a witch in the house. She had forgotten how much she used to rely on magic, and was eagerly awaiting the day that Rose would be allowed to use magic outside of school.

They entered the surprisingly empty shop, to be met with a wall of silence, Selene guessed that there must be a silencing ward at the door to block to outside noise. It wasn't long before they were suddenly joined by the proprietor of the shop. Rose, not expecting the man's sudden appearance, jumped a little. Her onset surprise caused her hair to briefly flicker, as if of flame, before she overcame her shock.

"Don't do that!" she exclaimed.

The man before her simply gave her a smile full of mirth. "I assume, young lady, that you are here for your first wand?"

"Yes! Do you think I could get one of ebony? Or maybe yew? I've heard that those are the best wands!"

Olivander seemed affronted at her question. "I must express my apologies, young miss, but the wand chooses the wizard… or witch… not the other way around. We can most definitely try a few ebony or yew wands, but don't be disappointed if you aren't chosen by either."

Her excitement wasn't diminished in the slightest at this news. She simply wanted access to her magic. More so than the few 'wandless' levitations or summons that her bracelet allowed her.

Olivander then proceeded to walk behind the store counter, intent on beginning the process of finding the perfect match for the young lady before him. The first wand he presented her was made of ebony with a dragon heartstring core. "Try this."

With a quick swish, he knew that the wand most definitely was not for her if the gout of flame that flew from the wand was any indication. He quickly snatched it from her before his shop caught fire. The sheepish expression she gave him amused him to no end however.

The second wand he handed her was yew with a unicorn tail hair. Much like the first wand however, the effect of the wand was disastrous. "No, no, definitely not." The next wand was elder and phoenix tail feather. This time, the wand wasn't as violent in its rejection. "Hmm… I have a feeling that either phoenix feather or elder wood would be best for you. Maybe rowan?"

It took nearly a half hour before Olivander was happy with a match. To Rose, it had felt like she had tried every wand in the shop. "Try this…" he handed her a rowan wood wand with a phoenix tail feather core. This time, the wand seemed to heat up in her hand with a pleasant warmth. When she swished it through the air, a gout of multicolored flame extended from the wand, acting almost as a trail. Along with the fire, the song of a phoenix could be heard rejoicing with its new owner.

This brought a smile to the old wand maker's face. "Ah. It seems we have found a match. Interesting thought it is. Rowan, rather flexible, rather good for defensive magics. Odd though…"

"Odd? How so?" Selene asked.

"The phoenix feather core used for that wand was originally intended for another. Around six years ago, I wand making a rather difficult holly and phoenix wand when the wood suddenly burned to ash. As that had never happened before, I thought something must have happened to the intended wielder. You see, wands more or less have a destiny. Each one is destined for a specific wielder. As the wand is made, it links itself to the ambient magics and 'selects' a worthy wielder. Of course, the wands only seem to match those who where born in relative proximity to the wand maker. That's why it is best to get a wand from the resident wand maker in your native country."

"That's rather interesting." Rose said distractedly, still in awe over her new wand.

"There is another issue with that wand core in particular. It has a rather well known bother. You see, the phoenix who gave that feather gave only one other. The other feather that was made into a wand was given to one Tom Riddle, who later became the most recent Dark Lord."

Selene was shocked at that news. The fact that Rose may turn dark worried her. "Will this mean that Rose may become another Dark Lord?"

"Heavens no!" Olivander exclaimed. "While every person has a propensity for going dark, the wand isn't the one who decides that. If anything, the fact that the wand is made of rowan wood almost assures me that she will never fall to darker motives. Rowan wood wands have never been found in the hands of one who would be considered dark. In fact, they tend to actively reject any who are."

Relieved, Selene replied, "Thanks… that helps. I myself come from a dark family and didn't want to have Rose become like they were."

"Hey! Give me some credit mum! I wouldn't do that to you without a very good reason!" Rose said a tad cheekily.

Selene just smiled at her daughter. "It had better be a good reason." The two then thanked the wand maker, paid and left the store.

 **A/n: sorry about the long break… ran into a loss of motivation for my muse. Also had to edit previous chapters to add a few semi important facts that I had neglected to write. You know… the usual excuses. Not like I get paid to write or anything.**


	8. Chapter 8-The Hogwarts Express

**Chapter 7**

The dungeons at Hogwarts were a cold and damp place. While the used portions of the castle dungeons were well maintained, the remainder could be considered a death trap of sorts. Luckily for the majority of the castle inhabitants, the entrance to this portion of the castle was blocked off and hidden most of the time.

Standing in the center of an old classroom, stood an aged man stroking his impressive beard. "Yes. This place will do nicely. I'm sure that young Harry could find the stone here. It's imperative that I test the boy. Especially after being raised by a dark family."

The headmaster of the school stood pondering this latest hitch in his extensive plans. "I'm sure it won't be too hard to sway him back to the light. After all, he is but a child. And children are notorious for changing their world views repeatedly throughout their childhood. I'll just need to ensure that he is 'befriended' by a light family. Maybe the Weasley boy?"

The old man started pacing along with his thoughts, attempting to find a solution to this dilemma. "I must keep the Longbottom boy separate though. I don't need him falling to the dark as well. Should I influence the hat to put them in different houses?" he stopped his pacing for a moment as he thought it through. "No. Harry and Neville need to both be in Gryffindor. I can't have any dark influences surrounding them. Maybe I can have the Weasley boy keep them separate. It shouldn't be too hard, as I've been rather reliably informed he has a rather abrasive attitude. A few loyalty or repulsion potions slipped into their drinks shouldn't hurt either."

He was interrupted by a rather large crash and muted cursing outside the door. Albus simply rolled his eyes, removed the wards on the door, and began to investigate. The troll on the other side of the door was a huge indication as to what the problem was. "Confound it all! Can't you keep a firm hand on that thing?" he heard Severus yell behind the troll. Albus simply raised his wand to help, never noticing the shadows move behind him.

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

"Sister. Dumbledore seems to be planning to interfere with Rose again. He's planning on using potions to enforce his views upon her." Ice said to Blizzard.

"How did you discover this? He's not known to make a mistake by leaving plan out in the open."

"I overheard him talking to himself. There may have been a minor compulsion involved to speak, but it still is valid information."

"Good. We'll send a warning to Severus. He swore an oath to ensure Rose's safety. It's time he made good on it."

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

The excitement that September 1st held was felt all across Britain in young children everywhere. None where as excited as the young Hermione Granger. She had been told last year on her birthday that she was a young witch, the answer to why she was seen as different from all her peers in primary school. Surely she would meet others like her and could finally make friends?

Sadly, so far that didn't seem to be the case. Her parents had dropped her off just outside the barrier to the train platform as they themselves could not enter through, seeing as they were non-magical. She had pushed through the barrier to be immediately confronted with a barrage of colors. Cloaks and robes of every color imaginable, and a few that weren't, owls every breed and persuasion flying overhead, cats running underfoot, and children everywhere were the sights she was confronted with upon entry.

She was pushed along to a scarlet red train engine, and was rudely shoved to the side when a pair of large boys barreled their way through to get on the train. Picking herself up, she tried to pull her trunk onto the train, however, even though her father was capable of easily lifting it onto the trolley, she couldn't seem to lift it over the small gap separating the train from the platform. She had asked for assistance from a nearby set of girls wearing a set of green trimmed robes, but was rudely rebuffed. It wasn't till a young blonde haired boy, obviously very shy, helped her out that she was able to board the train.

"Thank you. My name's Hermione. What's yours?" She asked politely.

"N-Neville. Neville Longbottom."

"Well Mr. Longbottom, would you care to join me in this compartment?" they had conveniently ended up near an empty compartment in their struggle to lift the trunk.

"Y-yes. Thank you. Most other compartments are already full." He helped her lift her trunk up onto the rack above, and proceeded to join her. After a few minutes an stern looking older lady joined them. Her face melted upon seeing Neville however.

"There you are Neville! You left your trunk outside. I was worried about you!" Neville blushed at that revelation. The woman proceeded to magic his trunk up above them with a swish and flick of her wand. She then proceeded to embarrass him further with her next comments. "Now, don't forget your toad, Trevor." She handed him a toad in a small cage. The toad looked obviously unhappy with its current predicament. "Why your uncle got you that horrid thing I will never understand." She then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Now behave young man. I don't want to hear about you getting into fights now."

"Yes, gran."

"Alright now. I love you Neville. I'll see you for Christmas break correct?"

Neville blushed even harder at that. "Love you too, gran. I'll see you then." The elderly lady then left, but not before she put on a stern face once more. Shortly after she left, he turned to Hermione and gave her a sheepish smile.

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

Rose was starting to get frustrated. First, she woke up late due to a lack of sleep the previous night thanks to over excitement causing her to have to rush her morning preparation. Then she was late to the platform due to a gaggle of redheads seemingly hunting for someone, blocking the entrance. Then, when she finally got to the train, she couldn't find a compartment that wasn't already full, and the narrow hallways were packed with Harry Potter fans attempting to find him.

She searched nearly the entire train for either an empty compartment or a compartment with a few her own age. The few she had found however, were full of snobbish rich kids and sycophants. It wasn't until she was near the engine that she finally found a compartment with only two kids her own age, a boy and a girl. They looked pleasant enough, so she knocked, then opened the door.

"Sorry to bother you, but do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full." She asked politely.

The bushy brown haired girl stared at her for a second incredulously, as if she couldn't believe someone would want to willingly join her, before answering. "Sure. It's no issue. Go right ahead."

"Thanks!" Rose then fully entered the compartment, towing her trunk behind her she took out a small handwritten pamphlet and her wand for a moment, and concentrated on what was written. After a moment she looked at her trunk and clearly intoned "Wingardium Leviosa!" and with a swish and flick of her wand, she slowly levitated her trunk to the rack above, and guided it onto the shelf above. Rose looked away from her handiwork with a pleased smile on her face. "Yes! First try!"

The two previous occupants just stared at her in shock. They didn't expect to see what obviously was a muggle-born first year girl levitate her heavy trunk with only a single try and no prior practice.

After seeing their incredulous faces, Rose's smile faltered into a more sheepish grin. "Uh… hi? My name is Rose." She said as she sat down next to the girl.

That seemed to snap them out of their shock. The boy was the first to answer her though. "N-Neville."

"Hermione. How did you do that? I recognize the spell of course, it was in the first year charms book, but how did you cast it so successfully? And on your first try as well? Are you a second year? You don't look like one. You look younger than I am. Did you read the other text books as well? I was so enamored with them, I ended up reading through them twice…" she stopped for a moment to catch her breath before continuing. "Well?"

"Wow, that was a lot of questions." Rose looked over to Neville who just had an amused smirk on his face, as if he had experienced this before. "Lemme try to answer them. I read the book looking for useful charms and wrote them down along with the wand movements, and though I wasn't allowed to cast anything, I still practiced the movements at home. I'm a first year, like you, judging by the way you said I looked younger than you. I did read through some of the other texts, but as I only got my letter about a month ago, I didn't have time to read through them all. Especially not multiple times. I hope that answers your questions."

Hermione gave a sheepish smile back. "Sorry, I got carried away there."

"No matter. I'm sure you were just curious."

Neville took this time to speak up. "I assume you are a muggle-born like Hermione here? I was just explaining several facts of the wizarding world to her."

"Half-blood actually. Though I was raised in a muggle style household. I know most of the nuances though as my adoptive mother was a squib."

"Squib? What's a squib?" Hermione asked.

"A non-magical born to a wizarding family. They tend to have more magic than a standard muggle, I believe, but still can't use a wand." Neville answered her.

"That's correct." Rose said.

"Okay, I get that. Now back to what we were speaking of before. How do magicals communicate if there are nothing like a telephone? I know of owls, but isn't that a little slow?"

"The Floo." Neville answered.

"The Floo?"

"It's a method of near instant transportation between two linked fireplaces. You can also use it to speak by simply just sticking your head in the flames."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Not really." Rose spoke up. "Though I haven't used them myself, as my home isn't connected due to it being considered a muggle residence, the Floo uses special powder that causes the flames to become green and safe to stand in. I've heard that when using it to travel, you spin rather fast as you are pulled to your destination."

"That's… Wow! I never knew that wizards have such strange ways to travel."

Just then their carriage door was yanked open by a messy red head. He seemed to look into the compartment for a moment, then scoffed and walked away without closing the door. Rose, startled by this development, just blinked a moment before standing and closing the door.

"That was weird." Rose said.

"That was Ronald Weasley. He tends to come off as rather rude. And a slob." Neville informed the girls.

"I can tell."

Rose then noticed that Neville's toad had almost escaped the compartment when Weasley had barged in. She quickly picked it up and handed it back to him.

"Thanks. He tries to run from me all the time. I'm not sure why."

"Maybe he's searching for food?" Hermione said.

"I feed him quite regularly with the pellets that the magical menagerie gave me. I would think that he would be well fed."

"Maybe he requires a more varied diet. When we get to Hogwarts, try talking to the gamekeeper. He might know what is needed." Rose said.

"Alright."

"What do you think Ronald was looking for?" Hermione asked.

"Call him Weasley. Unless you are given leave to use someone's first name, it can be considered an insult to them. But I suspect that he's looking for Harry Potter." Rose got very silent, and still at that.

"Oh, I read about him! Supposed to be the boy-who-lived, defeater of the Dark Lord Voldemort. Is he truly supposed to be on the train? I would love to meet him as well. It's not everyday that the subject of one of your texts is still living." Hermione asked, a tad excited.

Rose just looked at both of them. "I don't think he's on the train." She said slowly.

"Why? How would you know?"

"If he were, wouldn't we have heard something back at the station? Especially with how famous he supposedly is."

"That's true I guess." Neville said, a little skeptical. "But he is supposed to start Hogwarts this year. Maybe he got special travel privileges?"

"Or he's in disguise." Hermione said. Both Rose and Neville stared at her. "What? If I was famous like that, and didn't want anyone's attention, I would put on a disguise. That way I wouldn't be recognized and could ride the train like everyone else."

"True." Rose said with a knowing smirk. "Anyway, what houses do you guys think we'll get into?"

"I'm hoping to be Gryffindor. Though I suppose Ravenclaw would be good as well." Hermione said.

"Why Gryffindor?" Neville asked.

"Well, I heard that our headmaster was once in Gryffindor, and look how successful he is! Gryffindor has to be a great house to allow that much success."

"You should be in a house because it fits you, not because someone famous went there. Merlin himself was supposed to have come from Slytherin. Not to mention the founders themselves. Your house should be what your own merits and strengths are. Not what someone else has done." Neville said. "Or, at least, that's what my gran always told me. I think she was trying to comfort me when I thought I wasn't a wizard or that only Hufflepuff would take me."

Hermione blushed at his words. "I guess I'll see how they want me to be sorted. That was actually good advice." Neville blushed in response.

Rose smiled at both of them. "I think I would like to be in Ravenclaw. I was told that my mother was very smart and would like to try to honor her with that. Though I'm pretty sure that she and my dad were in Gryffindor. At least, according to Professor Snape said."

"Professor Snape? I heard he was very strict and mean to those not in Slytherin." Neville said.

"You shouldn't say things like that about our Professors." Hermione said.

"No, I'm pretty sure he's right. Or at least partially. My adoptive mother has known him for a while, and she says that he does come off as rather strict. He does teach potions, though so it's probably necessary. You don't want something to explode because someone was horsing around. I'm not quite so sure about him only liking Slytherins, however. But he is head of house Slytherin, so he might be a bit biased. I'm sure the other heads are at least partly so as well." Rose said.

"Valid points." Hermione said. "What house do you wish to be in Neville?"

"I hope to be in Gryffindor, really. But I'll probably be in Hufflepuff. I'm very good in my family's greenhouses, which requires a lot of hard work."

The door to the compartment opened once more to reveal a blonde boy flanked by two larger boys. To Rose, the larger two boys oddly reminded her of gorillas. The boy looked at each of the occupants in turn, sneering at all three of them, then turned to leave. But before he was completely out of the cabin, he turned back to Neville.

"What are you doing here squib?" he sneered. "Did you steal someone else's letter?" Neville seemed to shrink in on himself with the blonde boy's accusations. Rose's eyes narrowed at the confrontation.

"Go away Draco." Neville said quietly. Draco just laughed at the obviously shy boy.

"I'll think that you'll find that he has as much right to be here as you do." Rose said in an overly prim and proper voice.

"And who might you be? I don't recognize you, and you are wearing clothes of a mud-blood." Draco sneered.

Rose stood up politely and gave a small curtsy. "Myself? Oh, I am Lady Rose. My family has had their nobility for centuries. I can tell by your boorish attitude that you must be one of the newly ennobled." Rose gave a well practiced sneer, showing that she was looking down on the boy. "Leave us. You are unworthy of our presence. Do not speak as you have to your betters. You might just find that you will be crushed under the heel of our boots." With that she gave a flick of her arm that held her bracelet, and channeled a small amount of her magic through it. Draco and his goons were pushed out of the compartment and the door slammed shut. Rose then locked it and sat back down letting a sigh of relief pass her lips. She looked to the others in the compartment ensuring that they were still fine.

Hermione was starring at her with wide eyes as Neville gave her a thankful smile. "That…that… wow!" Hermione finally got out. "Are you really a noble as you claim?"

Rose shrugged. "Sorta. My original parents had the title and when they passed it went to me. My adopted mother also technically had a title as well, but she was struck from the family. However, she ensured that I would know the proper forms and address for someone of my station. Even if I don't choose to use it."

Neville, after he recovered from the ordeal took up the narrative. "I also have a title. When I turn seventeen I will become Lord Longbottom. Though most titles mean little in this day and most I will have a seat on the Wizengamot."

"Wizengamot?" Hermione asked.

"The wizarding version of the house of lords." Rose answered.

"Oh."

"Which families do you hold the title for Rose?" Neville asked, curious.

"That's a secret." Rose said with a smile. "Just wait until the sorting. I'm sure it will come out then."

"I never got your family name either." Hermione said, trying to figure out the puzzle.

"I go by Rose Moore in the muggle world. Again, my true title will probably come out at the sorting."

"Alright." Hermione said. She looked down at her watch and jumped a little. "I think we'll be arriving soon. We better get changed."

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" called out a booming voice. Once Rose and company left the train, the looked over to the source of the voice. Standing at about eight and a half feet was a large man holding a lantern. Rose immediately recognized him as the gamekeeper Hagrid.

"Come on." Rose said to the others. That's Hagrid. The gamekeeper. I met him briefly at Gringotts." She grabbed both Hermione and Neville's hand and pulled them towards to large man.

Hermione, amused at the young girls actions, allowed herself to be pulled along. Neville, being a normally shy boy, just allowed the action as he couldn't think of a polite way to ask her to stop. That, and he secretly enjoyed the fact that he was holding her hand.

They quickly joined up with a small group of young children, obviously other first years. Rose released their hands and stood there excitedly. As the rest of the platform emptied, Hagrid continued to call for other first years. He seamed to pause for a moment after they all had joined him, and was seen counting them. He seemed happy with the number and gestured for them to follow.

He lead them down a narrow path to the edge of a large lake. "No more than for to a boat now!" he called as they neared a small pier with a large amount of small boats waiting.

Neville helped both girls into a boat, and they were joined by another girl. This girl had blonde hair, and ice blue eyes. She briefly introduced herself as Daphne Greengrass and proceeded to remain silent, staring coldly ahead. Rose and Hermione looked questioningly at Neville, and he just shook his head, confused as well with the other girl's actions.

Soon they were off. Behind them, Rose heard a scuffle and looked back. It looked like the red headed boy, Ronald, had joined with Draco in a boat, and they seemed to be fighting. Rose just shook her head at the boys actions and looked back ahead of her. She was just in time as the castle had just come into view, and what a sight it was. She heard gasps of awe and wonder around her, and when she briefly looked back at the two fighting boys, as they had gone quiet, she saw them hugging each other as they starred at the castle.

Giggling a little, she turned back to the others in her boat. "Wow. It's Beautiful!" she heard Hermione exclaim.

Even Daphne lost her icy exterior as she looked upon the castle. However it wasn't to last as she recovered and returned to her cold stare as they entered a small cove.

When they reached the rocky shore they all climbed out of the boats, again with Neville's help. "Thank you. Your such a gentleman." Rose said, causing him to blush.

They climbed a flight of stairs and across a small courtyard. Shortly they found themselves within a grand entrance hall. Hagrid reached up to the large oak doors before them and knocked loudly. Shortly thereafter he was greeted by a stern looking woman wearing emerald green robes and a Scottish tartan.

"The firs' years, Professor." Hagrid said.

"Ah, thank you Hagrid. Ill take them from here." Hagrid shuffled through the doors as she stepped into the entrance hall.

She turned to the gathered students, looking them over. She scowled briefly, as if she were looking for someone, yet didn't find them. Rose got the distinct feeling that she was looking for her, or rather, Harry.

"I am Professor McGonagall. I teach Transfiguration and am also the Deputy Headmistress of this school, along with the head of Gryffindor house. There are four houses that you shall be sorted into momentarily, and they are as follows. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Your house shall be like your family for these next seven years. You shall Room with them, attend classes, and spend free time in the house common rooms. Treat your housemates well, and they shall treat you well in return."

She looked over the gathered students again. "Your triumphs will gain you house points, and you failures and your misdeeds will lose you house points. At the end of the year the house with the most points will win the house cup." She checked a timepiece in her pocket briefly. "I will now go and check to see if they are ready for you. I suggest you take this time to tidy yourselves, and prepare." She gave a significant look towards Ronald as she said this.

As soon as she left, Draco strode pompously to the front of the students, followed by his two gorilla bookends. "I see that Harry Potter hasn't deigned to join us. I suspect that is because he feels too important to join us." He gave a strong sneer.

Ronald at this point also went to the front and seemed to challenge Draco. "You're wrong, Malfoy! I say he is just running late! He probably missed the train or something."

"No, he didn't." Rose said softly to herself. Hermione seemed to hear her and gave her a strange look.

"What would you know Weasley? You cant even find the money to afford proper clothes, how would you find information on Potter? Maybe he was raised by your family. Not like they would notice, with them having so many children."

"Shut it Malfoy!"

What ever Malfoy was going to say in response was cut off by screams from the other first years. Rose and Hermione whipped around and spotted several ethereal figures, ghosts, floating through the crowd of children. They seemed to be having an argument amongst themselves, and didn't notice the startled children.

"Forgive and forget, I say." A portly ghost said. He was dressed as an old fashioned friar. "We ought to give him a second chance."

"My dear Friar," a ghost with an overly large frill around his neck said, "Haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives the rest of us a bad name you know, he's not really even a ghost… Oho! First years!" he said when he finally caught sight of the gathered children.

"New students I presume? Asked the Friar, smiling at them all. "About to be sorted I suppose?" Several of the students nodded mutely. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house you know…"

"Move along now." Professor McGonagall said as she reentered the hall. "The sorting is just about to begin." She gave a pointed glare at Ronald and Draco who still seemed to be arguing. "Line up in pairs now, and follow me."

She opened the doors wide and marched them forward. Rose and Hermione ended up next to each other in the rapidly forming line. Both of them starred in awe at the great hall they had just entered. The ceiling above them was glittering with stars, as if it was the sky outside.

"It's charmed to look like the outside sky. Rowena Ravenclaw did it as part of a gift to her students. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History." Hermione whispered to Rose as they progressed.

McGonagall motioned for them to stop before a stool where an old hat had been placed. Some of the students who weren't paying as much attention ran into those ahead of them to the chagrin of their peers.

The brim of the hat began to open as if a large tear had formed, and soon started to sing*. After the song, the various student around the hall clapped politely as Professor McGonagall began to speak. "Now, as I call your names, you will come to the front to be sorted. You then join your house at the appropriate table."

Rose took the chance to look up at the head table where the remaining professors sat. She saw Hagrid at one end of the table talking with a younger woman, and a man that seemed to be missing several fingers and part of one ear. At the center of the table, seated within a throne like chair, sat who she could only assume was Albus Dumbledore. He seemed worried over something, and kept looking over the students gathered before him. Rose again had the feeling that he was looking for Harry. She quickly looked away from him so that he wouldn't notice her, and continued to look down the remainder of the table.

Sitting next to a man wearing a purple turban, she saw Professor Snape, who she noticed was watching her. She gave a small nod to him, and he seemed to smile briefly, if the twitch of his lips was anything to go by. She then looked back towards the front at McGonagall when she heard the name of the girl standing beside her. "Granger, Hermione!"

Hermione slowly began walking towards the front, seemingly muttering to herself. When she sat upon the stool, and the hat was placed on her head, she looked as if she was arguing with the hat. It took a few moments before the hat called out, "RAVENCLAW!"

Hermione smiled and rushed over to her new house, and sat smiling at Rose. Shortly thereafter Neville's name had been called, after a few other students. "Longbottom, Neville!"

Neville shyly sat upon the stool next to the professor. When the hat was placed upon his head, again the hat took a moment to sort him. "GRYFFINDOR!"

Several more names passed until McGonagall came to the name that Rose was expecting. "Potter, Harry!"

Whispering broke out amongst the students. When no one immediately came forward, the whispering increased dramatically. Again the professor called out "Potter, Harry!" she herself seemed to become agitated at the non appearance of Harry. She called out the name again, this time more forcefully. "POTTER, HARRY!" when again, none came forward, she just decided to move on.

Rose could see that Headmaster Dumbledore seemed just as worried as McGonagall when Harry didn't show. Professor Snape, however, seemed to be almost smiling with glee. Of course, there was no smile, it just was a feeling that Rose had about him. Strangely enough, the turban wearing professor was also scowling.

When all but one name had been called, McGonagall gave the two remaining students a strange look. "Zabini, Blaise!" After the dark skinned boy beside Rose had been sorted into Slytherin, Professor McGonagall gave Rose a strange look.

"And who might you be miss? I don't seem to have you on my roster."

Rose gave a small grin at that. "My name is Rose. Rose Potter."

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

 **A/N: And Cliffhanger! I just love those. Except when reading. Hate it when that happens. Now for some clearing up of some points. Rose does not have a Familiar yet. I thought about Hedwig of course, but then I just didn't think that fit her. She, like Hermione, shall have to wait a bit before her familiar is given to her.**

 **Additionally, I didn't feel it was necessary to write in the song that we all know the hat sings first year. I might write later songs it sings, but not yet.**

 **And now the big question… Which house shall be graced with Rose's presence? Slytherin? Ravenclaw? Gryffindor? The only one I will say that is not is Hufflepuff. Nothing against Hufflepuffs, but I just don't see any incarnation of harry that I might write fitting in there. He has a too big of destiny, and he is a cornerstone to so much that a Hufflepuff harry just doesn't sound right.**


	9. Chapter 9-The sorting

**A/N: Loved the last cliffy. Been planning that since the first time I thought of this story. Still trying to decide on a pet for Rose, however. Probably won't show up till second year… maybe a Pettigrew confrontation? I'm open to suggestions. As long as it is not a rat. Those should burn. Maybe a spider? (thoughts of Ronald) maybe…**

 **I hate Ron if you can't tell already. I just think he is a mostly useless character after the third book. Not that he doesn't contribute, but his role plot wise could have been replaced with another, more effective and less two-dimensional character. Like Neville. Won't bash him too hard though, unless it furthers the plot.**

Chapter 8

 _"…_ _Rose. Rose Potter."_

The Great hall went silent. Rose immediately noticed that everyone, including the professors were staring at her. She slowly shrank into herself, trying to hide, though she knew that she couldn't.

"Excuse me?" Minerva McGonagall asked.

"My name is Rose Potter."

"Any relation to a Mr. Harry Potter?" she asked. Something seemed familiar to the professor, but she couldn't place her finger on it.

"I guess you could say we are closely related."

"You guess?"

"I believe I can clear this up." Severus Snape said as he rapidly approached them from around the head table. When he arrived, he starred directly at Rose, trying to gauge her reaction. She gave a small shake of her head, with a worried look. "But first, Miss Potter, why didn't your brother show up?"

Rose gave a relieved look at Snape with that. "I have no idea. I never met him."

"What do you mean you never met him?" McGonagall asked. "Though, to be fair, I wasn't even aware that he had a sister, though I can see you look an awful lot like Lily did…"

"Let me rephrase. I have met him, but I haven't seen him since we were toddlers. I haven't seen him since he was five."

"I believe she still needs to be sorted, Professor." Snape said, interrupting whatever McGonagall was going to say.

"Oh… yes… right." She seemed to snap out of whatever she was thinking. "Please proceed to the stool, Miss Potter."

Rose smiled ad sat upon the stool. The hat quickly was placed over her head as the whispers around the hall quickly picked up.

"Ah… Right then." Said the hat in her head. "Well… Miss Potter… I can see you have already had an interesting life. Nice lie to cover up your existence. Very Slytherin of you."

"Thanks… I guess." Rose replied, slightly startled by the hat. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"I'm bound by the magic of the castle to never reveal any secrets I may find inside the head of one of the students. In fact, everything about you will be locked away shortly after I'm removed, unless you put me back on at a later date. Imagine how many people I would have to remember if that didn't occur."

"I guess that makes sense."

"Now back to the sorting. A keen mind, I see. Also, a desire to prove yourself. Immense bravery as well. To have gone through what you did and still come out as you are shows great courage and determination. My dear, I haven't had such a hard time sorting a student in years!"

"Well… I'm glad that your happy about that…."

"No worries my dear…. What's this? A part of the Summer Circle? I haven't had a full member of the fey circles in a very long time! Not since I sorted a young Morgana LeFey! You my dear, will sure to be interesting to watch these coming years!"

"I hope you won't tell anyone? I'm currently hiding that fact. Only my immediate family and the goblins are aware of that. And wait… What about my mother? I thought she was of the fey…"

"Not to worry, as I said before, the knowledge I have shall be locked away. Now, as for your mother, she was indeed a part of the Summer Circle, however, she was what was once known as a changeling. She 'replaced' another child and was brought up by her muggle parents. She, at the time of her sorting had no idea of her heritage, and therefore I couldn't tell her, even if I had known. But I digress…"

Unbeknownst to Rose, the entire hall was staring at her, most waiting impatiently for her to be sorted, whether out of curiosity, selfishness, greed, or hunger in the case of one young Gryffindor. The sorting had gone on much longer than those before her, and the Deputy Headmistress was starting to become impatient.

"Now… sorting… yes… I honestly have no idea as to where to put you! Hufflepuff is out as I fear that though you are loyal, you wouldn't benefit or prosper from association with that house, especially as I can sense a great destiny about you… While Gryffindor would work in a pinch, I suspect that is not a house that would help you. Especially because most in that house, with the exception of a notable few, rarely think before taking the jump into danger, and I see that you are more Slytherin in your approach. No doubt a hold over from your experiences from your early childhood."

"As such, I guess all that is left for you is Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Slytherin could help you on your path to greatness. There's no doubt about that. However, I see that you have made an acquaintance with a newly sorted young claw. You already hold your tentative friendship with her more importantly than any Slytherin trait. The Hufflepuff in you. You see why I have a hard time sorting you, correct?"

"Yes, I can tell." Rose answered with an amused smirk on her face. The students in the crowd who saw it wondered what could possibly be so funny about her sorting process.

"As for Ravenclaw, you have the keen wit and intelligence that the house prides itself for, yet you don't fall for the standards of the rest of the house. You seek knowledge to benefit you and others. Not, as your young friend does, for the sake of knowledge itself. Again, a trait more in line with Slytherin. Or at least the more neutral of them. Yet, unlike most Slytherins, you are willing to take risks. Again, Gryffindor. But not without weighing other options, Ravenclaw. You, my child, are one of the most complex eleven-year old's I have ever sorted. No doubt because of the conflicting upbringings you have experienced."

"So, it falls to what I have stated before. You already hold your friendship with the young Ravenclaw in high regard… as well as your Gryffindor friend. Hmm…. I guess… Better be… RAVENCLAW!"

The last was said out loud to the whole hall. Moments later, the Ravenclaw table broke out in load cheering and celebration. But, as they are the house of those who pride themselves on their intelligence, the cheering died down rather quickly.

With the sorting over, Professor McGonagall removed the hat from Rose's head and allowed her to go over to her new house table. Rose quickly sat down in an empty space next to Hermione, which who immediately gave her a small hug in congratulations.

Dumbledore, still shocked by the reveal of who Rose was, just absentmindedly waved his hand and the feast appeared before the residents of the hall.

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

Unbeknownst to Rose, Dumbledore sat at the head table plotting. He knew for a fact that there was no second child of the union between Lily and James, and yet, she was evidence to the contrary. The young girl who had just been sorted was a spitting image of her late mother, and the hat would have announced if the child was someone in disguise or glamour.

Another issue was that young Harry never showed up to be sorted. He would have to confront Severus about that and make a trip himself to locate the boy. Harry Potter must come to Hogwarts in order for him to be guided to his destiny. If only he didn't lost track of the boy all those years ago.

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

The shade leaching off of Quirinus Quirrell was confused. He knew that there was no other child that fateful night, and that his spy would have alerted him to her existence otherwise. Just what was going on? Almost six years ago he had felt a great shock and drain of his limited power. Additionally, the one responsible for his current predicament wasn't even at the castle!

If it wasn't for the fact that the Philosophers stone was located here at Hogwarts, he would just leave now. However, he was committed to this course of action. Not only could he gain a new body with the stone, he could also have unlimited funds for his own purposes. No, he would not leave. Not till he had access to that stone.

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

The rest of the teaching staff, excluding the potions professor, those that knew James and Lily, wondered about the young girl as well. They could see the resemblance to her mother, now that they actually were looking for it, but couldn't understand how her parents could have hidden her away without anyone knowing.

All they knew, was this year just got that much more interesting.

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

Hermione quickly accosted Rose with questions as they walked up to the Ravenclaw common room. The other first years with their group listened intently, gathering the freely given information.

"You didn't tell me your last name was Potter!"

"I never said anything about my family." Rose calmly replied. "I told you that I was titled, and that it came to me through my deceased parents. I also remember telling you that it was a secret, and that you would probably find out at the sorting."

"Yes, but it would have been nice to know beforehand that you had such a famous brother! What is he like? I read about him in several modern history books, yet they never mentioned that he had a sister. And wait… wouldn't he be the head of the family, even you were born first? I thought that the wizarding world was more patriarchal in practice."

Exasperated, Rose slowly began to answer her questions. "I never truly met Harry. Like I said before, the last time I saw him was when we were five, and he disappeared. Therefor I have no idea what he is like." Rose said this last bit with a small grin. "And as for why the books never mentioned that he had a sister, it is likely that either they didn't know, or didn't care. I was brought up in the muggle world, with little true contact with the wizarding world. And what little contact I had, I went under the name of Rose Moore, as that is the last names of my adoptive family. As for me being the head of the family… Yes Harry should be head, but there are extenuating circumstances that I am not allowed to reveal, as they fall under family secrets, that require and allow me to be head of the Potter family."

"Okay then. But-" Whatever she was going to say was cut off by Penelope 'Penny' Clearwater, the prefect that was guiding them to their new common room.

"Alright! Listen up! This here is the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room." She gestured to a bronze eagle knocker affixed to a small alcove on the seventh floor. When you wish to enter, you must stand before it and answer the riddle it shall give you. If you can't answer, then you must wait for someone who can." She then moved in front of the knocker, allowing it to ask its riddle.

"From a flame I am born, though an egg I lay. From ash I am spawned, but I won't last the day. when I am touched, I shall burn your hand, but from my egg love shall be gained. What am I?"

"Anyone want to take a guess?" Penelope asked.

No one answered for a moment till a young Indian witch answered. "An ashwinder perhaps?"

"Correct." The bricks and knocker turned transparent, and Penelope guided them through the alcove. After they were all through, Rose noticed that the wall sealed shut behind them.

"Now, welcome to the Ravenclaw common room." She gestured to the space beyond her. Behind where she stood, the circular room's walls were covered in bookshelves stuffed to the brim with books. Centrally located, there was several cushioned chairs with small tables next to them. Along one wall, a massive fireplace stood, heating the room to a comfortable temperature. Opposite the fire place, two entryways stood against the wall. Through them, spiral staircases could be seen.

"The left staircase leads to the girl's portion of the tower, and the right leads to the boys. On each floor above, you shall find that the first floor is designated as the seventh-year dorms and the remaining years are in decreasing order. That means that you, as first years, shall be located at the top of the tower. There is a space condensing charm on the stairwell, so it wont feel like a long trip. Additionally, there is a ward upon the girl's stair case blocking entry to all boys, except for in emergency situations, so don't attempt to go up the wrong stair case." She gave a stern glare to the boys in their contingent.

"Each of you have their own small room, that you can easily find by a name plaque on the outside of the door. Inside the rooms you will find your things and your bed. You will not find a desk in there as with the older years, as Professor Flitwick feels that first and second years should interact more on the main floor. That what these desks and tables are for." She gestured to said tables and desks.

"Curfew, at least the main school curfew, is at nine o'clock sharp for first through third years. This means that you are required to be within your dorms or common room by that time, or you will receive detention or the loss of points if caught."

"Now, for this library. We, as Ravenclaws, are the only house with a communal library. It is cared for by a select few upper years, as they know where everything should be located at. We have a sorting system similar to what I believe is called the Dewey Decimal system. A muggleborn a few years back set it up for us. This library is a privilege, not a right. If you are found abusing, disrupting or disturbing others, you shall not be allowed access. This is enforced by a ward covering all of the bookshelves, controlled by our head of house. The main school library, however, is larger and has a wider variety of topics. So, if you can't find it here, then it probably is located in the main library if it exists."

"Lastly, we have a in house council that is responsible for things such as caring for the library, solving disputes between individuals, setting up private tutoring in necessary, and other tasks. The council members are voted for by third years and up at the start of every term and consists of fifteen members across all years. If you have a problem, see a prefect first, the council second, and if you still cannot resolve your issue, then go find professor Flitwick. Do not go straight to him unless it has to due with something pertaining to his role as head of house or professor of charms. He does not want to be bothered by small complaints such as a missing sock."

"Now I expect you all down here at seven o'clock sharp to be guided down to the great hall for breakfast. From there, I, or another prefect of our house shall guide you to you first class and from there to others. This will last for the first two weeks, and from then on you are expected to find your own way."

"Are there any questions?" when no one spoke up, she continued. "Then I'll let you head to bed. Good night."

With that, the first years all headed to their dorms. But when Rose tried to enter the girl's stairwell, a bright ward prevented her form entry. "Great." She said aloud. This got the attention of Hermione, who had entered the staircase first.

"What's wrong?"

"The ward won't let me enter." Rose said, a bit angrily. Though she thought she should have expected it, as she knew that magic still saw her as male.

"What? You are a girl, right?" Hermione said a little teasingly.

"No. I've been a boy all along, I just enjoy wearing skirts." She said sarcastically. "Of course, I'm a girl!"

"No need to snap at me." Hermione then left the staircase and approached Rose. "This is weird though. Try it again. I want to see it."

Rose walked forward again, allowing the ward to flare up before her. Hermione then walked forward after Rose backed off, and she walked right through. "Interesting. Did someone pull a prank on you by chance? Though I would expect it to be a bit early, and mean, to do so already."

"I don't think so…" Rose said.

"Let me head up there to make sure your room is there. This just really weird." She quickly dashed up the stairs and came back down a moment later. "Your room is most definitely there. It is right across the hall from mine."

"Then let's get Penny's attention." Rose then called over to Penelope, who was over by one of the bookcases. "Hey Penny, we have a problem!"

Penelope walked over to them. "Already? I would have thought It would have been at least tomorrow before the first issue cropped up. It can't wait till then, can it?"

"No." Rose said. "I can't get into the stair well to my dorm."

"What do you mean?"

"Here watch." She again walked up to the stairwell allowing the ward to flare again.

"But how? You are most definitely a girl, so it should let you through. I know that the ward can't be tampered with, because it has been tried in the past and no one has been successful." She stood there, pondering the issue.

"Maybe we should get Flitwick. He might know what to do." Hermione suggested.

"Yes, I believe we must. This is very peculiar…" Penelope walked off and out of the common room with a puzzled look upon her face.

Hermione and Rose looked at each other. "Should we follow?" Rose asked.

"No, it's after curfew. I think we should just stay here for a moment.

"Want to look at a few of these books?"

"Thought you would never ask."

( | )/_/ _( O ) \\_\\(_|_)

Penny came back a few moments later with professor Flitwick in tow. Both Hermione and Rose were deeply engrossed in their chosen texts by then and jumped when Flitwick tried to get their attention.

"Miss Potter? Miss Granger? I hear from Miss Clearwater that you are having issues with your dorm room?"

"No." Rose said, rising from the armchair she had sat in. "I can't even get into the stairwell. The ward seems to be preventing my entry."

"I'm sure you've already done this multiple times, but I need you to try again so that I might see exactly what is happening."

"Alright professor." Rose then walked up to the entryway and causes the ward to flair up once more. While she was standing there, Flitwick came up behind her and started waving his wand about, trying to discern the issue.

"It looks like, for what ever reason, the ward is seeing you as a boy not a girl. I can't fathom as to why, however. For now, as it is getting very late, I will charm you temporarily to be exempted by this ward while we investigate this issue." Flitwick said while casting something at Rose. "There. When you pass through, the charm will fade, so in the morning, ensure that you have everything you need as the ward will activate again after you pass through it."

"Thank you, Professor."

"Now you two need to head up to bed. You have an early start tomorrow, and it is nearing midnight. I'll see you in the morning."

With that, Flitwick left the common room. Shortly after he left, both Hermione and Rose headed up the stairs to their dorms.

 **A/N: I had this stairwell scene played out from the first time I thought of this story, except Rose was in Gryffindor and the slide had caused all of the first-year girls to fall on each other.**

 **Next up, classes! And maybe a time skip to near Halloween. Maybe not. Haven't written it as of yet.**


End file.
